KagaKuro 7!
by HetalianWolfx
Summary: Seven one-shots for a week of KagaKuro goodness! The topics of the chapters have an extensive list of: lasers, three little words, repent, jealousy, neighbours, alien and tomorrow. No M content but do expect some swearing, threats and the usual lovey-dovey stuff in later chapters. Completed!
1. Day 1

I've always wanted to do a KagaKuro day thing but always missed it, so I'm doing a whole (late) valentine's week to celebrate my favourite KnB couple. The first piece is:

 **Laser Tag**

Sometime after the winter cup the generation of miracles and some of their team-mates decided to face each other on a different playing field: The field of lasers. Each team in the game is the same as in basketball (so you can probably imagine the weird and wonderful things happening in the background).

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

The heat of battle, it was barely an acquired taste for the players of this vicious game. Ducking, diving, breathing, wiping the nervous sweat from their furrowed brows: truly this was a soldier's game. Guns in hand, the red team advanced to the white team's base.

Admiral Aida stood to the wall, gun by her side, watching her troops fall to position. She took a deep breath and looked over.

A shot- just by her head. She whipped back, steadying her heart.

She had to play smart, her men were counting on her order.

"Alright." She glared at them, her voice low. "Their focus is on this area. We'll surround them. Elders, take the right lane. Light and shadow take the left corner. The last three, pick a spot and stand with me, we'll fire when they're distracted. Don't let your position be seen, wait for the call."

Each of her soldiers nodded in conformation and took on each of their roles.

Kagami ducked left and disappeared under conveniently placed cover. He weaved through the maze-like structures, every time ducking behind walls and pillars to hide his location. Finally he had made it to a vantage point. Through a crack in the wall he could see the gaps in the enemy territory, all he would have to do is hit them from where they weren't looking.

What caught his attention was the dangerous wandering eyes of the white leader, surveying the landscape before him. If one person stepped into Akashi's view, they were probably done for in a split second. He would have to concentrate…

"Lookie here…"

Kagami froze up, the mocking laugh behind him all too familiar. The blue team had snuck into their battle, he could only hope it wasn't a team-wide ambush. He could already feel the cold blade of bitterness against his back before he could will himself to turn around.

Aomine smirked at him with his smug look and smug gun pointed smugly at his chest. "So it comes down to this."

"Not much of a fight, but you can't bring me down with one shot." Kagami snarled.

"You're right, but one more and you'll go down. I'm a patient hunter."

"You're a coward."

"I'm just doing what I do best." Aomine readied the gun, finger pressing lightly on the trigger. "Either way, the only one who can win this, is m-"

A flash told the end – and it wasn't Kagami who was going down. Aomine's stumbled over himself, turning quickly to reveal the shadow who still held his gun up in defence.

"Move, before we get you down to your last shot."

"You- dammit I should'a known!"

Aomine grit his teeth, but quickly made his way out of there. Kagami sighed from relief and stepped towards his partner.

"Talk about cutting it close."

"I've got your back, always."

A smile was shared between the two – but the guard was let down all too quickly. Another flash showed that karma bit back, Kuroko quickly got out of enemy fire only to see the sniper from the white base doing the same.

Kagami pulled him into the corner.

"Kuroko! Are you-"

"I'm fine." He gripped onto Kagami's wrist and showed him a smile to settle the red-head down. "I can make it for one more hit, it's all I need."

"I can protect you."

Kuroko shook his head.

"I can do this. We'll just have to look out for each other."

Kagami looked unsure, but soon frowned with a nod. They would do this; they'd faced against the odds before.

Getting into a hidden position, the duo waited patiently for their signal.

Hearts beat in unison, the time has come for the final shove.

"Go!"

The call came from the centre, and in an instant guns were up and fire was spread throughout the area. Kagami stood out, seeing his target, aiming, firing all within a second. His partner joined him as Kuroko ducked out from cover, the soldiers falling one by one but the red team pushing the white team back into their base.

The massacre continued until each team was sparse of soldiers, strategically timing their shots as the battle became neck and neck.

If they kept pushing, if they kept trying, the red team could take it all.

"Kagami-kun!"

Suddenly Kuroko barged into the red-head, pushing him behind cover.

A light shone at Kuroko's back, and down he went.

"No!" Kagami looked at where the light had come from, seeing a familiar face back for vengeance. "Aomine!" Kagami roared like rolling thunder, shooting into the darkness.

He saw the evil grin disappear, and the enemy was gone.

Quickly, Kagami dragged Kuroko into the corner by his shoulders. He knelt down beside him and clasped his hands over Kuroko's

"Kuroko… After what you said, I still…"

"Don't mourn over me, Kagami." Kuroko looked up at him and placed his free hand over Kagami's grip. "They still need you out there. You've got to carry on, for both of us."

"I can't leave you."

"You have to."

"I just can't!"

"Kagami-kun!" Kuroko gripped his hands, making him look at him. Kuroko gave him a melancholic smile. "I'm glad we confessed before I got shot."

"You know you're the only one for me, Kuroko." Kagami pressed Kuroko's hands against his forehead, shutting his eyes tight. Slowly, he moved to press his lips against his shadow's cheek, and then placed his hands onto his torso and grabbed his gun. "I'll beat them for us both. After this I'll go to Maji burger, I'll eat enough burgers for the both of us."

"That's like your mountain plus one."

"And that one will be the best one, I just know it."

"Kagami…" Kuroko held his hands against his chest, almost looking like he was about to cry.

"Kuroko…"

Kagami leaned down and held Kuroko in a tight embrace.

"Beat their asses for me." Came the weak voice in Kagami's ear.

By the time he let go, Kuroko's eyes were closed, and he was lost to the battle. Kagami steeled himself.

He stepped beyond the cover.

"Alright you asshats, Kagami's coming in for the kill."

Gun in hand, Kagami raged into the fray with a battle cry heard by all.

….

"Even after all that drama you still just ran in. You got killed instantly." Kuroko fanned himself with a spare kids menu from the table they were sitting at, looking at Kagami rather disappointingly.

"I mean can you blame me? There were a lot of them." Kagami pouted in defence.

"The point was that you didn't just run straight into 'a lot of them'."

"If you're mad that I didn't avenge your death then you get to not avenge mine next time."

"We've only got two rounds left but I'll take it."

Beyond them stood the other teams at other tables, laughing their asses off at stupid moments during the game. On a lone table sat the champion of the yellow team drinking a cold milkshake, sitting opposite to the champion of the blue team looking grumpy.

Kise watched the rest of the room, particularly his captain giving the rest of the yellow team instructions for the next round. His eyes wondered to Aomine, who was frowning at himself.

"What's wrong Aomine-chi? Your team came second didn't it? Since you guys snuck up behind the red team." Kise played with the straw and smirked at him. "A shame you didn't come first though huh?"

"N-No, I'm not bothered about winning…"

"I never thought I'd hear you say that." Kise blinked at him, flabbergasted.

"Yeah…"

"Okay this is really weird. What happened?" Kise leaned in.

"I just…" Aomine glanced at the shadow and light duo, frowning more before looking away in distress. "I think I saw something I wasn't supposed to, and I dunno what to think about it."

As Kise tried and failed to get more information out of Aomine, Kuroko and Kagami continued goofing off together with a smile.

* * *

Aomine spied on a private moment between his rival and his old best friend, talk about awkward :S

I forgot how freaking fun laser tag was, and I went to it, and if it's cheap you should too. Also, thought I should start off with something a little fun and silly to ease into whatever drama I have planned.

Next story should be tomorrow!


	2. Day 2

The second day is here as promised! The next theme is:

 **Three little words**

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Those three little words that I thought about over and over, from lips to ears and lips to lips, mine and yours and yours and mine.

Those three little words that you didn't say to me are shattering me from the inside out.

….

It was just another day for the once-shadow of Seirin. He was heading down to maji burger for his weekly meet-up with his best friend, Kagami Taiga.

Since they had left Seirin it was tradition to meet up at their favourite place every other Saturday afternoon for a pile of burgers and a milkshake.

This time however, as Kuroko passed through those open doors, he heard something so strange that he almost wondered if he had imagined it.

"I love you."

It was so clear, so forward, and so familiar. He could have sworn the one who had said it was the one he came here to meet.

Kuroko looked towards the table that he and Kagami usually took. Low and behold, the red-head sat by the windows with his back facing the door. He didn't seem as confident as usual – the tall man was hunched up unnaturally in his seat, looking flustered with a shade of red covering his cheeks. He was stuttering too, trying to talk to the woman on the other side of the table, seemingly trying to ignore whatever onlookers might think of him. Finally Kagami managed to get his words out.

"I, I mean it, seriously. I've felt like this for a while and, well, I really think I love you."

Kuroko's eyes widened.

What was he witnessing right now? This was the time they would meet right? Well, he was quite early, but even so, why was Kagami sitting with a random stranger in their booth? Why was he saying something so out of character for him?

It wasn't like Kagami, to say something… without meaning it…

"Gh-" Kuroko flinched when he realised something was on his cheek and ran out the door before he could be seen. His usual calm, ghostly demeanour was gone. He rushed down the street until he got a good distance from the burger joint, and hid between in the gap of two buildings.

Kuroko wiped his cheek, then did it again, and again. He kept going and going, telling himself it would stop, and only after a full minute did he really accept it.

He was crying.

Why was he crying? Was he hurt? Was it because of what he saw?

His thoughts were jumbled, he couldn't focus.

Then he remembered why he was crying: it was because Kuroko loved Kagami.

….

Love was a strong word.

Kuroko thought about it all the way home. He had never convinced himself he 'loved' Kagami, a strong crush was more likely. But even so, thinking about love, about everything it meant, he couldn't help it.

To some people love meant companionship, loyalty, trust, to others it meant warmth, kindness, and intimidation – all of these things fit how Kuroko felt.

He had ignored it for so long that it was pushed into the backburner of his emotions, and yet here he was, laying on his apartment couch wondering what the cheapest consumable therapy available was that would be helpful for washing out today's memory. He was thinking ice cream. Ice cream and alcohol.

Thankfully the buzzing of his mobile phone caught his attention away from drowning his sorrows.

Instinctively, and slowly to fit his current mood, Kuroko picked up his phone and checked the name and number. Sure enough, Kagami was calling him.

 _To ask me to be his best man I bet. Or his worst man. Idiot._

"Hello?" Kuroko put the phone to his ear and tried to sound like his usual self.

"Ah Kuroko." Kagami's voice sounded as peppy as usual on the other side – not at all like his earlier flustered self. "What's up? Didn't see you at Maji's today."

"Oh, yeah, I ended up…" Ill? Late? Heartbroken? "Ill." Probably the best choice. "Sorry. I should've called you but it kept slipping my mind."

"I see, I mean that's fine and all. Couldn't be helped. You do sound kind of sick be honest, it's in your voice."

He was a little surprised but chalked it down to Kagami knowing him well.

"I hope I didn't ruin your meal, did you just eat by yourself?"

"Well no, actually I came there with my friend Linda." Kuroko felt his heart lurch. "She's a co-worker down at the station, we started talking and ended up sitting at maji's early. She left before our usual time though."

Kuroko wished he would stop talking. He hated this feeling.

"Did you talk about anything interesting?"

"Eh?"

"With Linda." Kuroko couldn't stop himself from talking, he knew he was running his mouth. "Did anything interesting come up?"

"Ah, well…"

There was a long pause on the other end of the phone.

"Nothing, really, not that I can remember…" Kagami sounded stressed, Kuroko immediately thought of it as lying. "Why do you want to know anyway?"

"No reason. How close are you with her?"

"C-Close enough I guess. Anyway how sick are you? Do you wanna meet up tomorrow instead?"

Kuroko opened his mouth to reply but realised he didn't have a response. He shut it again until he thought up a vague idea.

"Can I call you tomorrow to see how I'm feeling?"

"Sure thing! Call in the morning though yeah? I'll let you sleep now though."

"Thank you, Kagami-kun. I'll see you later."

"Yeah see-ya, get better soon okay?"

"I will." Kuroko ended the call and turned the phone in his hands.

There was a faint burning in his chest, a strange mix of very faint guilt about lying about his sickness mixed with Kagami being worried about him despite that lie. It reminded him of being a kid when you first manage to get off school by faking illness.

Kuroko lay there for a few more moments, then grabbed his phone again and began searching for a number. He put the phone to his ear and impatiently waited.

"Hello, are you free tomorrow around lunch time?"

….

"Uurm…" Kagami's eyes shifted from Kuroko to the one standing next to him.

"I apologize, is there a problem with this?"

"Well, no, I was just going to-" Kagami stopped himself and shook his head. "It's fine, it's totally fine. I haven't seen you either in ages so this would be cool, I guess."

"Well it's nice to see you too Kagami-chi." Kise huffed, overdressed for the occasion as usual. "And here I thought you'd grown up since the last time we met, guess I can't hope for a miracle."

"Oi! That's-"

"Anyway let's get our table before someone else does."

Leaving no room for Kagami to argue back, Kuroko pulled Kise to their table and got into his usual seat. He subtly urged Kise to grab a seat to sit in between him and Kagami, since they usually only got a table for two, and the blonde obliged with a smirk. Following with a scowl, Kagami grabbed his usual seat, eyeing Kise as calmly as he could.

"I didn't expect you to come along as all." He muttered at Kise, then looked to Kuroko. "When I called you, you didn't say anything about it, just that we would meet here."

"I never said that I was coming alone." He stood up again, skidding his chair back with his legs. "I'll order our stuff if you know what you want."

"I'll come with you." Kagami stood up quickly.

"I wanna join too!" Kise jumped up with a beaming smile, much to Kagami's exhaustion.

"Well we need one person to stay at the table." He eyed Kagami who was smiling at his usually correct assumption that Kuroko would tell the blonde to wait like a patient puppy. "Kagami-kun, can you?"

"Eh?" Kagami looked at him in surprise, but quickly looked away. "F-Fine, whatever…"

"Good, I'll get you the usual."

He tugged on Kise's sleeve, catching Kagami's stare, and the two made their way to the front.

 _For reasons I cannot disclose, I need to make Kagami-kun uncomfortable tomorrow._

Kuroko's eyes turned half-lidded as he remembered the conversation he'd had with the blonde yesterday. It was underhanded, and possibly completely unnecessary, but for some reason he just wanted to do this. He wanted to make Kagami wonder more about him, he wanted him to notice his strange behaviour. Even if he had to get closer to Kise just to make him watch him more, even if this wouldn't achieve anything, Kuroko couldn't help being selfish after what he saw.

"Kuroko-chi."

The ghost looked up to Kise who was smiling cheerfully at him, and suddenly realised he was still holding onto his sleeve.

"Sorry…" He immediately dropped his hand.

"No no! I was just smiling about how cute you looked holding me like that~" The blonde laughed.

"Kise-kun, I hope this isn't too far out of character for you. Like I said, it might get a little weird."

"But it's good weird! It's been so long since Kuroko-chi has been this desperate to be close to me."

"I was never desperate in the first place."

"Well that's your point of view."

Kuroko raised his brow as he saw Kise float off into his dream land. He worried about the blonde sometimes, if not all the time.

After a few moments of waiting they came back to the table with Kuroko's usual milkshake and Kagami's usual mountain of hamburgers.

"You're not getting anything?" Kagami eyed the blonde as he unwrapped his first gift from god in the form of food.

"I couldn't possibly." Kise flung his arm over his chair as he leaned back in a stylish fashion. "Greasy food like this would ruin my complexion, even staying in here makes my skin feel gross."

"Then you shouldn't have come…" Kagami muttered before stuffing his face.

Kuroko took this opportunity to turn his chair slightly towards Kise.

"That reminds me, your modelling career has been going well for a while now."

"Yeah, that's right. My agent moved me to another magazine that's getting a lot more revenue. I've officially turned from a teenage heart-throb to a dream-gentleman." He crossed his legs and flipped his hair back in an elegant manner. "Though, I've been thinking lately of getting into something more serious. I can't stay just another fashion-prodigy forever; maybe I'll ask Akashi-chi to get me onto that basketball team he bought."

Kagami almost choked on his burger, covering his mouth with his hand as he coughed.

Kise turned to him with a sly smirk.

"What's wrong Kagami-chi? Jealous or something?"

It took a short moment for Kagami to get his situation under control, but when he finally swallowed his mouthful it was obvious he was grinning.

"Nah, not really." He dropped the burger in his hands onto the tray and looked down on the blonde. "In fact, I'm sorry for you. You're so delusional."

Kise frowned.

"Huh? What was that?"

"You keep showing off like you own the place, looks like it's you who hasn't changed at all."

Kuroko watched the two eye each other, their gazes getting more and more vicious. He swallowed, feeling the tension rise way more than he had hoped.

"You two, please calm down. We're here as friends, aren't we?"

"Yeah Kagami-chi," Kise glared at the red-head, "he's got a point. There's no need to be a spoilt brat just because Kuroko-chi wanted to hang out with me more than he did with you."

"You…" Kagami grit his teeth. "You just think you can get anything you want with your damn looks and success. Not this time… You're not gonna get what you want this time!"

Slamming his hands on the table, Kagami stood up fast enough to knock his chair onto the floor, silencing the room. Kise looked up at him with a raised brow, his arrogant smirk gone for now. Instead he looked a little curious.

"I don't really know what you're after, but…" He stood up calmly, a light smile playing on his lips. "I can't just take what you said without a fight, now can I?"

His charming smile turned into a playing grin as he eyed the fuming red-head. Kuroko stayed sitting, awkwardly. He wondered if they were actually going to start a fight.

"Court?" Kagami glared.

"Court." Kise returned it.

Oh right. They settled things with basketball.

Better than nothing, he supposed.

….

"Suck it!" Kagami slammed the ball into the net for the… well Kuroko had meant to keep score but he had honestly lost count by this point.

They had met up for lunch around 3 in the afternoon, it was now past 8 and the sun had long since said its goodbyes. The red-head and blondie stood on the court, panting, sweating, letting their bodies cool down in the night's breeze. Meanwhile Kuroko was on the bench, head back against the fence huddled up in his jacket, practically falling asleep. The two players had been pumped to show each other up since they got there but in the end it had just turned into a battle of endurance. Even they had stopped keeping score and were just desperate to keep beating each other.

Kuroko had almost wished they had a fight instead, at least then one of them would have been knocked out by now.

For a brief moment all that they could hear was the sound of the two player's panting, a moment which Kuroko savoured. He waited for the bouncing of the ball to pick up again, but instead…

"This is just boring now!" Kise brushed his hair out of his face and stepped back, showing his need for a break. "I'm heading home."

Kagami chuckled.

"Looks like the spoilt brat can't take a bit of punishment."

"I cant take how stupid this is! You're just a dummie!"

"Says the real dumb one!"

"I am not!"

Kuroko watched on, exhasperated.

"You both look like idiots to me…" He sighed, then called out to them. "It's gotten dark already. Let's just head back."

Kise turned to him, looking grateful.

"Sure thing. I'll walk you home, Kuroko-chi."

"Wait a minute!"

They both looked to Kagami who suddenly had his energy back.

"We haven't settled this, if you run away you forfeit!"

"Forfeit what? My pride? Kuroko-chi? What are you even mad at me about?"

"Just- you!" Kagami growled. "Acting so damn high and mighty, like you're better than me, well you're not!"

Kise's eyes widened. Then he suddenly turned bitter.

"You're different today, Kagami-chi. No wonder Kuroko-chi didn't want to be alone with you."

"Wha-"

Kagami was taken aback. His mouth hung open but he couldn't seem to get any words to come out. Instead he glanced to Kuroko, who looked away, only confirming what the blonde had said.

"Kuroko…" He closed his mouth, stepping back as he realised how he had been acting.

Kise slung his jacket over his shoulder and walked up to Kuroko, who kept his gaze low.

"Come on, let's go." Kise smiled softly, then glared back at the red-head. "You don't have to put up with this."

Kuroko paused, staring at his feet.

He didn't have to put up with this. But he didn't have to put the other two through this either. Later on he would explain it to both of them, and hope that it would fix his mistake. For now he just didn't have the energy to explain himself.

"Yeah." The ghost sighed. "Let's go."

He stood up, watching Kise move towards the exit and turning to follow him before a voice interrupted him.

"Wait!"

The two turned back to Kagami.

"Let me have a moment with Kuroko. Just one."

Nobody responded. Eventually Kise looked to Kuroko, who took another moment before looking back at him.

"I'm heading home after this anyway, you just go on ahead."

"Are you sure?" Kise raised a brow. "I could walk you home?"

"I'm fine." The ghost insisted. "I'll explain everything to you later. For now, I owe it to him to listen."

Kise leaned back a bit, pouting.

"I still don't get it but, if you're sure…"

With a sigh the blonde made his way to the exit, giving Kagami one last look before leaving the two alone.

It was suddenly quiet, as if the silence had been blocked by a barrier which had suddenly disappeared all at once.

Kuroko was regretting his decision of staying.

If he had to explain why he had really brought Kise here he would have to reveal everything from the start, and in the end Kagami would probably never want to hang out with him again. Even so, could he just let things stay like this? If Kagami didn't know he saw him with… his woman, then he would never know why Kuroko started acting so strangely. No, even with that he would never know, because Kagami would never know Kuroko's feelings. He should never know Kuroko's feelings.

In the end, maybe the reason he tried so hard to show himself getting closer to Kise was to make Kagami think less about him, rather than pay closer attention to him. Craving attention but staying away for fear of interrupting his life: that was definitely the way he loved Kagami.

"Why did you invite Kise here?" Kagami's voice suddenly caught him off guard. He sounded confident and strong as always, but also insulted. "What he said, that you don't want to spend time alone with me, did I do something wrong? And yesterday? Were you even sick?"

Kuroko had to swallow the guilt that suddenly lurched in his throat. He clenched his fist, still refusing to look at him. With only a glance he could see that all Kagami wanted was answers. What could he possibly tell him?

"Kuroko…" Kagami's voice sounded decedent. "I thought I could finally…"

Kuroko looked up. Kagami was facing away, eyes closed shut and fist shaking with rage.

"Kagami-kun…" Kuroko bit his tongue, feeling the dread creep up on him. "I'm sorry if I did anything-"

"Don't say sorry." The red-head interrupted him, frowning. "You shouldn't have to say sorry. I thought we were getting really close!"

"I thought that too!" Kuroko blurted out before he could stop himself. He didn't even know he was going to say it, but it exploded from him along with his built-up emotions, and suddenly he and Kagami were staring at each other.

Kagami stood still, looking completely confused. Kuroko would have to say something, fix his statement, anything, but he couldn't bring anything out.

"I'm sorry…" It was all he could say. It was all he wanted to say. "It's not my… It's not any of my business. I'm sorry."

His body felt heavy as he turned away, walking fast towards the exit. His eyes were burning; if he didn't hurry he would cry again.

Time seemed to close in on itself, because in one moment he went from walking through the cold breeze to being halted by something warm and gripping. Kuroko opened his eyes to see the gate in front of him with his hazy vision. He felt himself being pulled back, his body doubling over from the force, and from his own will to leave vanishing.

"Kuroko, we both know that's a bad idea." Kagami moved his arms so that Kuroko could stand up straight, and kept enough distance to let the other breath. "Don't we need to sort this out?"

And just like that, Kuroko's sense sparked back to life. His numbness flew away, and he realised what a coward he had been. He wiped his eyes, and patted Kagami's hands.

"Thank you, Kagami-kun. I'm alright now."

Slowly, the red-head released his grip on the other and backed away. Kuroko took a deep breath, gathering together all of his will, and turned around. Their gaze locked. Then, Kuroko closed his eyes. Everything he had been feeling manifested themselves in his words: self-pity, jealousy, betrayal, guilt, and love.

"I'm sorry." He started. "I know you don't want to hear it, but I am. I acted childish because I didn't know what else to do. I wasn't sick yesterday, I was upset, and I took it out on you by bringing Kise into our tradition and paying more attention to him. I didn't expect that you two would get into a fight, but I don't blame me or Kise for that. If something really is going on that made you frustrated, I want to hear it, whether or not it has anything to do with me. Because… I still think of you as my best friend."

His heart was beating in his ears. For sure with that explanation Kagami would be curious, he would have to make up some reason why he was upset, or… tell him the truth.

Kuroko regained eye contact with Kagami, who hadn't seemed to move at all since he started talking. The pause between them was tense, but Kuroko was ready to listen. He but he didn't expect Kagami's reply.

"You saw me on Saturday, didn't you?" He said it more like a statement than a question.

Kuroko froze up. He tried to suppress his surprise but he could feel his eyes widen and couldn't keep a steady gaze on the red-head.

Kagami looked away, unsure.

"I've… been thinking about it. And that makes sense. I thought something happened on that day. When you said 'it's none of my business', I remembered being surprised at maji's when I'd just finished… talking. I wandered if someone had hit the door or something. I guess that was you."

Kuroko bit his lip and clenched his fists.

"That… I don't, it's not…"

"You should've told me you saw…" Kagami sighed, running his hand through his hair. "You were the last person… I mean, I should've made sure you weren't there…"

Kuroko shook his head.

"Like I said: It's none of my business. I shouldn't take it so personally. Even… even if I do feel that way about you."

"Kuroko."

"No, please, I need to say this. We are close friends, I know this, and I hid my feelings so that we could stay that way. I should've been able to keep-"

"Kuroko!"

Looking up, Kuroko saw Kagami's exasperated expression.

"It's so out of character for you, isn't it?" Kagami smirked. "I can tell by now, when you're not saying what you want to, when you're being passive. You know a guy like me won't get it that way."

Kuroko blinked, clearing his throat of the previous emotion that had snuck its way into his voice.

"What are you talking about; it's you who always won't speak your feelings…"

He sniffed, blinking more to hold back anything that dared to come forth. Thankfully he was distracted by Kagami's chuckle.

"Yeah. Well, I've been working on that lately. Been… practicing."

"Practicing…?"

Kuroko looked down, thinking about that word, and suddenly he was being towered over by the red-head. Before he could register what was going on, he heard a soft voice beside his ear.

"I've felt like this for a while, but I never knew how to put it into words. I really think that I love you."

Kuroko's heartbeat stopped. He couldn't hear anything, but he could feel everything. The cold of the outside, the warmth between them, the happiness, the pure happiness and relief, he felt all of it. He felt droplets fall slowly from his eyes, but he didn't feel any sting, he just allowed them to be there.

"You idiot. You were so careless with your practice, it was no wonder I caught you." Kuroko smiled, trying to hold his voice steady. "You even made me cry, you know? I hadn't cried in years."

"I don't doubt it." Kagami chuckled, bringing his hands up to hold Kuroko's cheeks and wipe away the tears. "Sorry. I was gonna tell you if you didn't run away, but I guess that's my fault now."

He saw Kuroko smiling at him, blue eyes shining from the tears, and felt his own happiness show on his face.

"To be fair, I also messed things up by bringing Kise into it." Kuroko smirked at his own odd behaviour.

"Yeah, that did confuse things a bit…" Kagami scratched the back of his neck. "If he didn't come then today I would have… Nah, I shouldn't have been so jealous of him."

"It's fine. It's almost reassuring."

Kuroko shook his head, then took a deep breath. He stepped forwards and pressed his forehead against Kagami's collar, leaning the rest of his body on the red-head.

"Kagami-kun, I think I love you too."

With something between a chuckle and a huff, Kagami wrapped his arms around Kuroko and held him close.

"That's all I need."

A tight embrace in the moonlight, there was nothing more satisfying. A selfish love, that's what they both had for each other.

* * *

It continues! With a bitter-sweet story of confession no less~

I don't know why Kise is always my go-to for being in the way, he's just a natural at getting attention XD

I would love some feedback so go ahead and review, until the next chapter all you lovely readers~!


	3. Day 3

Sooo… This one is kind of long :I ….More info at the end!

This chapter features the oneshot:

 **Repent Your Mistakes**

* * *

Being in a foreign land after so long was tough enough, but it was worse when there was nobody else quite like him. Today again he wandered through town, easily overhearing every other person whispering and gossiping about his unusual hair. He couldn't help that his mother was a ginger and his father had black hair, and it's not his fault those colours decided to blend in the most unhelpful way possible.

It was a well known fact that you could tell a witch or warlock from their hair colour.

Black, brown, blond and red weren't unusual, even grey and white were acceptable. It was when someone could pick you out of a crowd that it became suspicious. Kagami was a tall, angry looking foreigner with red and black hair, and he did not get along well with people. It really was a wonder that they hadn't burned him at the stake already. But he was also a warrior, and a damn good one at that, and he wasn't about to leave the people he'd been training with for half his life for something like this. Not that they would let him.

"It's the best option you got," his teacher, a rather voluptuous woman by the name of Alex Garcia, pushed the beans towards him, "they wont do anything permanent."

"I don't need it!" The red-head refused for the umpteenth time. "I'm not hiding my hair just because none of the guys around here have it, red hair is normal back home and it's normal to me."

"We're not saying it's not normal! But we can't have you get pissed off at every other person who stares at your head."

Alex looked like she was going to get pissed off in a moment, but before that, the beans were snatched by a rather charming looking man who hadn't yet grown out of his boyish heart-throb looks. Himuro Tatsuya, Alex's only other student, had a much more understanding look on his face reserved for stressful situations like this.

"You don't have to take them, but at least keep them somewhere in case you change your mind. It'll be a lot less hassle."

He handed the beans to Kagami who, after a long moment of looking like a child avoiding his medicine, reluctantly took them and stuffed them into his pocket. Alex sighed from relief and patted her students on the shoulders as thanks.

"I'm still not gonna take them… but how does it work anyway?"

"You crush them in water." Alex waved her hand. "Don't make it too thick or too runny, the more you can soak into your hair the longer it would last. I'd say you'd be able to have brown hair for about… 7 days with that many? Then it'll start washing out, and you'll need more."

"They grow from weeds from a dangerous area just by the village anyway, so it should be no problem for you to get more." Himuro chimed in, Alex following with an accusing point.

"Be careful of salt water! That stuff'll wash the colour right out. Also, be careful of who sees you. I got permission just for you but those beans aren't meant to be used for this, anyone who catches you would probably assume you've got a reason to hide your hair colour."

"My reason is the people who would accuse me anyway…" Kagami grumbled, stuffing the brown beans into his pocket. All this trouble, just to not be seen as something he never was…

"Anyway, now that that's done," Alex pushed a map into Kagami's chest, "We've got our first job. There's been a minor disturbance just out by the farms, go check out the forest and get used to the place while you're there."

With a scowl on his face and a stomp in his step, Kagami grabbed his broadsword and grouchily made his way out the front door with the beans safely in his pocket. Once the door was closed, Himuro sighed.

"I hope he at least finds _someone_ he gets along with."

"Why did we settle here again?" Alex eyed the man to her right.

"Because you said you couldn't be bothered to walk anymore…" Himuro smiled awkwardly.

Down the road, Kagami hurried through the street at slightly faster pace than he would've liked. He told himself he didn't need it, that his hair was his hair and he didn't care if anyone thought he was weird. But even so, he was keeping his eyes down and had an uncomfortable sprint in his step, secretly watching to see if anyone stopped walking in front of him just to look at him like usual. He hadn't been here all that long but he was already impatient with all of it.

"Stupid people of this stupid place, stupid travelling mercenary job, should've travelled the other way…" Though if he ended up in a place with mostly blond people then he would really be in a bad spot. He was kind of lucky this place was filled with mostly black and brown haired people.

It took him a short while to find his way to the farms, but once he got there an old woman tending to her cows noticed his soldier get-up and approached him right away.

"It was just a few days ago," she looked towards the woods edging off the side of her field, "I saw something glowing like it was on fire. Aint never seen a fire like it, was all sorts o' green an' blue. Hasn't happened since, but I can't shake this feelin' that somethin' out there caused it."

"And… You're sure it wasn't just a dream?"

"How dare ye, scoundrel!" Kagami earned himself a bonk on the head. "I know what I saw, it was in early evenin an' all. I dare say it went further into the wood then you'd be willin t' go."

Kagami hissed at his sore head and brought his hands up.

"I was just asking! And I'm gonna do it!" He would probably do it even if it wasn't his job since now he was curious. "Thank you for your help, the mercenaries happily extends their services, yadda yadda I'm gonna go find the thing."

"Make sure ye find some manners after ya'll are done." The old lady huffed and went back to her farm, leaving Kagami rubbing his head and examining where he was going to go next.

The woods next to the old lady's field were certainly something; it was more like a forest. He'd never seen the other end, so maybe it really was, and she'd said it was deeper than she'd ever wandered before.

Kagami felt a grin creep up on him. An adventure in the dark forest with something lurking in a place nobody else had gone, this was the spark he'd been looking for since he'd gotten here.

….

He was definitely right about some things.

The wood looked much more like a forest the deeper he went, so much so that the sun began to get blocked out by the trees. It got to the point where he was almost completely in shadow save for the dotted skylights here and there. Another thing he was right about was the mystery of the place. The thicker the trees, the darker the surroundings. The darker the surroundings, the more Kagami honestly wondered where the heck he was going. Something in the back of his head began to mutter something about how he wouldn't be able to get out if he got any further, and then the rest of his brain quickly punched that little bit unconscious.

He was no wimp, and he certainly wasn't cautious.

Still, he was beginning to think that there really was nothing to find here… until he heard it. Somewhere ahead of him was the sound of water. It wasn't quite a waterfall, but it was definitely along that line. Come to think of it, it had rained just that night, but he didn't know there was any streams this close to the village.

After following the sound he began to smell something. It was a familiar smell, the smell of fresh-water, but it was also kind of sweet which made it potent all the way to him. He smelled it coming from just behind two thick trees, and when he leaned his head past them his eyes widened.

A huge pond, like something out of a fairy tale, surrounded by giant trees covered with thick green moss that spread in cracks along the stone and dirt ground that led to the pond. The trees hid most of it in shadow, but there was a lage gap where they could not cover the pond and the light collided with the light blue water to brighten up the whole area. It was, in a word, beautiful.

It was also boring.

"What the heck…" Kagami walked past the trees, kicking a pebble into the water. "Was this it? Blue fire my ass…"

"Don't dirty the water please."

Kagami almost fell over backwards from the sudden line, but his reflexes carried him into a ready stance instead. His hand on his broadsword, he was ready to slice the feeble looking man in front of him.

With pale skin and a blank expression, the person stood still, unafraid of the red-head even considering the situation. His body was almost completely covered with a long, pale blue cloak and the white cloth garments underneath. He had light blue eyes that reflected the dancing light of the pond and short black hair that danced along his ear-line. Kagami gulped down his nervousness and regained his composure.

"What the hell, what is someone like you doing out here?"

"The better question is, what is someone like _you_ doing out here?"

Kagami frowned at the question, and suddenly felt self-conscious again. He covered the top of his head with one hand and waved frantically with the other.

"It- It's not what it looks like! I'm just a normal guy, I'm not trying to cause trouble or anything."

"No, it's alright." Kagami froze up, but the stranger calmly ran his hand through his own hair. What came through his fingers was a layer of dark grey, some strands lighter than others. "We're in the same boat."

Kagami straightened up, suddenly looking at the stranger with the same curiosity that others had of him.

"Grey hair? You don't look old…"

"I believe it's from stress." The stranger turned away, beginning to walk around the pond. "I didn't come to a place like this because my life was too peaceful already after all."

Kagami suddenly felt a little bad and followed along.

"Right…"

He watched the stranger stop by a large tree and pick up a stick, turning back to Kagami, only to pass by him once again. Kagami raised a brow but still followed.

"You're a soldier, aren't you?" The shorter male commented. "I saw them when I visited the village, that's what I meant before about 'someone like you'."

"Ah- well yeah…" Kagami brushed his uniform down. "Apparently there was a disturbance here a few nights ago. Somebody saw a blue, greenish fire from the woods."

"A fire?" The stranger blinked back at him. "Wouldn't that be dangerous? This place is full of wood."

"That's what I thought."

Kagami would've pointed out how obvious the stranger's statement was but already said something that would work against his favour in that regard.

"Anyway, I didn't see anything strange for the last week so it was probably nothing around here."

"The last week? How long have you been here?"

The stranger hummed, reaching the stick into the pond to carefully manoeuvre the stone that Kagami had kicked earlier out of it.

"About 2 months."

"2 months? Here?"

"Well, I wanted to live in the village but…" The stranger picked up the stone and stared at it. "With my hair, I kept getting these looks. In the end, I just decided to avoid it all…"

Kagami watched him, suddenly feeling an odd connection to the guy. With that in mind, he reached his hand out.

"Kagami Taiga."

The stranger looked at him, glancing at the hand before tossing the stone away and shaking it.

"Kuroko Tetsuya."

"Tetsuya huh? Sounds girly." Kagami smirked, trying to pass off how freakishly close to his brother's name that sounded.

"And yours sounds like a bad pun. I don't suppose you're going to roar at me for being in the way of your investigation, are you?"

"Not unless you're hiding anything from me."

"I wouldn't dare."

Kuroko tightened his grip on their handshake and Kagami could've sworn he saw the man smile.

Before he could think of anything, a sudden sound really did send him tumbling backwards.

 **"Bark!"**

"GUWOGH!"

Kagami stumbled back, running to the nearest tree and hiding behind it. Kuroko watched him in absolute wonder.

 **"Bark! Bark!"**

More came and Kagami hissed, seeing something move in the shadows opposite him. A tense moment later, a tiny little dog jumped out from the bushes, yipping and barking as he ran to his master.

"Hello there Nigou."

Kuroko picked the dog up as it ran around his feet, holding it up to his face. It responded with a happy bark and used tremendous effort to manage to lick his master's nose from a foot away. Kuroko laughed and shifted him to one arm, wiping his nose and then rubbing the puppy's belly.

Kagami watched them, growling to himself. Not that he was feeling left out…

"He won't bite." Kagami looked back as Kuroko addressed him. "He's very young but very friendly, I found him while I was travelling to the village."

"If you found him that recently then you don't know what he might do!" Kagami barked. "Just… keep that thing away from me!"

Kuroko looked at him oddly and rustled 'Nigou's ears.

"I suppose… you're afraid?"

"N-No shit…"

Kagami looked away in embarrassment, but was surprised to her a light laugh.

Kuroko covered most of his mouth, but a smile peeked out from the edge.

"It's quite a situation. I would have thought Nigou would be scared by you, not the other way around."

"Tch…" Kagami composed himself and backed off slightly. "Whatever, I did what I came here to do. You just… have a nice day, or, whatever…"

"Are you leaving already?"

Kagami turned back to see Kuroko and Nigou's matching faces of the sad puppy dog eyes. It gave him chills.

"How do you look so similar…?" He shook his head. "Yeah, I am. What, you gonna miss me?"

Kuroko paused for a moment, staring at his dog who stared at him back.

"Yes, I think I will." He fixed his dog's position so that he could give him a pat on the head. Nigou whined lightly and moved his head to his hand. "You are the first person I have been able to speak to in a long time, and I don't think anyone else would understand why I stay so far away. I think that I will be more lonely now that I know you are gone."

Kagami felt a little weight grow in his chest at that last line, which made him wonder if the other was doing that on purpose. Whether he was or not, Kagami knew he was falling for it either way.

"Well, in that case…" The redhead rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I guess, I'll come again when I have some spare time."

Kuroko looked up at him, almost surprised. Then he smiled.

"It's a promise. I'll look forward to your next visit."

….

And it was a promise. Contrary to what Kuroko thought, as he remarked when Kagami came to visit the next afternoon, Kagami kept his word and visited despite his fear of the canine the stranger kept.

At first he refused to approach the pond again, seeing the dog patiently waiting by his master, but after he came back the next day he at least stepped out close enough that he and Kuroko didn't have to yell to hear each other. With not much to do in the quiet village and mediocre jobs coming and going, Kagami found himself visiting Kuroko almost every other day. He had told his 'brother' and teacher about Kuroko, but they didn't seem too fussed about meeting a creepy man in the woods as long as Kagami kept himself safe. A week past, then another, and after three weeks Kuroko finally convinced Kagami to sit with him and his pet. Nigou wasn't so bad, if not slightly hyperactive for the redhead's liking. Still, after a full month passed by, Kagami found himself happy by the stranger's side.

Kagami didn't have many friends, in the end it had always been him and Himuro as they grew up. Something inside his head told him that Kuroko was his friend, one of the best he'd ever had, but he refused to acknowledge it. He was a mercenary after all; sooner or later he would have to leave. He would leave this village, and Kuroko, behind.

Unless… No, he couldn't ask Kuroko to come with them. That just wasn't how things were.

"Kagami-kun?"

The redhead jumped out of his daze, blinking a bit as the light on the pond stained his vision.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" He turned to the shorter male next to him, who stared back with slight worry.

"I didn't say anything." Kuroko frowned. "You were out of it for a while, is there something bothering you?"

Kagami paused, looking back to the pond as he briefly considered discussing what was on his mind.

"Nothing really," he ended up saying, "just had a tiring day. What were we talking about before I went out of it?"

"You were telling me about your home, and why you were a mercenary."

"Oh- yeah, that's right."

"You said that you came from a rather large city, but joined the mercenaries rather than the army because of the freedom."

"Well in a nutshell…"

"And also because your teacher is the one who taught you as you grew anyway, so when she decided to travel, you and your brother decided to accompany her and continue learning. Is that the sum of it?"

"Yeah, actually that's all there's pretty much to it. I've been thinking of going it alone for a while but, well, I'm kind of comfortable here. Go with the flow, you know?"

"That can be dangerous thinking, Kagami-kun."

"You think?" Kagami raised a brow, but Kuroko seemed to leave it up to interpretation. After a moment of thought, Kagami decided to ask what he'd been wondering for a while. "So… what about you? Where did you come from, and why did you stay here?"

"Where I came from…" Kuroko closed his eyes for a moment and mused before responding. "It was a very high-up place, with constant treacherous weather and terrain. There were rough streams and high winds, and lightning strikes would frequently set the nearby woods on fire."

"Geez-" Kagami frowned. "That sounds… interesting."

"It was. My home was a dangerous place, but I was constantly surrounded by highly skilled people so it never really bothered me. I was very happy there, until recently…"

"What made you leave?"

Kuroko sighed.

"One day, someone decided that we were better than everyone else. That mentality spread like wildfire, even my closest friends became… Anyway, in the end I would rather live a peaceful life than watch things get worse. Perhaps one day I'll find a way to change things for the better too."

Kuroko watched the space in front of him, expression filled with a determination Kagami had never seen before. Watching him somehow got him pumped up in a weird way, like he wanted to see that ambition come true no matter what.

"You're a weird guy, Kuroko." Kagami smirked.

"Thank you." Kuroko smiled back.

They stared into each other's eyes, a bond forming between two men with a moral passion in life. Though, it wasn't long until Kagami remembered something more important in his mind.

"By the way, where's Nigou? Wasn't he just here?"

The redhead looked around the pond, not catching sight of the puppy. Kuroko's chuckle caught his attention. He pointed to Kagami's hand.

"He fell asleep under you."

Kagami raised a brow and looked to his hand. Then he froze up. He'd been casually petting a calmed down Nigou, trying to get over his fear, when his mind had wandered off. Now Nigou was asleep, and his hand was resting on top of him, and if he moved it he might wake up and oh hell why did this happen.

"It's fine." Kuroko patted his shoulder, seeing his discomfort. "Don't panic or you'll hate the feeling. Isn't he just comfy?"

Well, Nigou's fur was soft, but Kagami still wasn't happy with this situation.

"He wont, you know, do anything if he wakes up, will he?"

Kuroko shook his head.

"He never would have bitten you anyway, and you know he doesn't scratch. Besides, you really are getting better at handling him."

"You think?"

"Definitely. I don't know if you've noticed, but Nigou gets sad too when you leave now."

"Too?" Kagami laughed jokingly.

"Yes, too."

Well he didn't expect a serious response.

Kuroko looked towards the pond with a smile.

"Even if it's only you, I really look forward to you coming here. It'd been so long since I had company that wasn't Nigou, I wasn't even aware that I was lonely. I never really get bored of you at all. But maybe that's because it's just you…"

Kagami felt something on his wrist and noticed Kuroko's hand moved closer to him. He gulped and awkwardly shifted his attention away.

"O-Oh yeah? Well, I guess it's the same for me too." He tried to calm his voice and took a deep breath. "It's hard to find understanding people around here, and I've never met anyone like you. It's really kind of like a fated meeting, huh."

"That's what it feels like, doesn't it? Something so out of the ordinary. You're the most honest man I've ever met…" Kuroko's hand dragged across the redhead's fingers, warm skin moving smoothly past his knuckles. "I really feel safe when I am with you…"

Kagami jumped. He didn't need to look – and couldn't look – to see that Kuroko's hand rested softly on top of his. His heart raced, he could feel something surging in chest and his lungs felt slightly tight. It reminded him too much of something uncomfortable, nervousness, the heat of a losing battle, guilt of leaving his born home behind, he couldn't focus on what was in front of him.

"Anyway!" Kagami shot up, stumbling away from an awakened Nigou and surprised Kuroko. "I-It's getting seriously late, huh? I guess the nights are g-getting shorter, or, something."

He tried to gulp down his nervous stutter but his heart wouldn't calm, the awkward silence between them really didn't help. Kuroko stared up at Kagami's back, glancing to his own extended hand before dragging it back to himself in defeat.

"Yes, they are. It is a shame, since you…" Kuroko tried to speak normally, but he had less will to talk, "won't be able to visit as often…"

"Yeah, since there's, uh, no light source around here."

There wasn't a light source anywhere in the forest. Huh? What did Kuroko use then?

"Yes, none."

It was clear Kuroko couldn't think of anything else to say. A surge of guilt took hold of Kagami's chest.

The redhead turned, suddenly energized.

"Then!" His volume started off out of his control, and he took a moment to temper it. "Then, I'll just have to come in the mornings instead."

Kuroko was surprised. He stared up at the redhead for a long, silent moment, before looking away, slightly nervous.

"O-okay. If you want to…"

Kagami watched him, the guilt gone but the other feeling coming back with a vengeance. He couldn't take this pressure; he wasn't used to it at all.

"A-Anyway, I'll be going now. Seeya later."

Kagami turned, quickly heading off the same way he always did. Behind him he thought he could hear Nigou's whining as he scampered off towards his master, and Kuroko's sombre, unsure words.

"Goodbye, Kagami-kun…"

He closed his eyes and blocked everything out.

From then on, Kagami's mind had been preoccupied since that evening, and by the time he got home the sun was almost set and he didn't feel a second pass by. The feeling from his chest was gone, but the overall feeling of uncertainty had stayed. It must have shown when he went inside, because as soon as he entered the place they were staying Himuro stopped in his tracks to greet him and just stared with wide eyes.

"Hey…" Kagami sighed, putting his sword and armour away.

"Hey there." Himuro replied, a curious smile playing on his lips. "Rough day?"

"Kind of."

"You look like you saw a dead body on the way back."

"A different 'Kind of'."

His brother took the hint and just smirked to himself as the redhead finished packing away and headed off to their shared room. He sat on the bed in silence, assessing how he was feeling, and concluding that he didn't feel any better.

Kagami groaned loudly and smacked both sides of his head. Then he did it again, and again.

Idiot, idiot! He'd acted like a total idiot! But why did he care? What was up with this whole thing? It was just stupid! A misunderstanding, for sure.

Something, anything, must have been said wrong. Somehow this has got to make sense…

"Having fun?" Himuro's voice chimed from the door.

Kagami looked up with an exhausted expression.

"I'm just suffering…"

"Did your new friend hurt your little feelings or something?"

"S-Shut it!" Kagami barked, flustered, and then controlled himself. "No, I just, did something super embarrassing in front of him, that's all…"

"Details?"

"No."

"Come on, you can't just tell something like that and keep it from me~" Himuro approached him with a grin.

"I'm not telling you."

"Then I'll just ask your friend."

"Heck no!"

Himuro was a lady-killer; if he showed him to Kuroko then the guy would definitely like the dark haired smooth talker more. Not that that was the only problem. The main problem was that Kuroko might make it weird. What with the whole… hand… thing.

"Tell me!" Himuro took another step forwards.

"No!"

"Tell me~!" And another step.

"No!" Kagami sat back.

Himuro began to laugh as he grabbed the other's jacket, "Tell-" but froze. He looked at the sleeve his left hand grabbed, and rubbed his fingers together. "What's that?"

"Wha-?" Kagami frowned at the sudden change of tone and looked down.

He hadn't noticed before, but his sleeve had some strange powder covering it. It was sparkling in the dim light almost like it was some kind of metal. Himuro raised his hand that was dusted by it to the near candle flame and watched the light dance on his palm.

"What do you think it is?" Kagami took a good look at his sleeve. The powder somehow seemed familiar.

"I think I have an idea." Himuro reached out for the jacket. "Give it to me."

Kagami obliged, and Himuro held the sleeve up to the flame. Before Kagami could object to burning his jacket, Himuro put the sleeve into the fire and watched as it exploded in an array of blue and green flame. Himuro backed off as soon as he could, taking the jacket with him, and the flame quickly stopped. After a quick inspection he held up the jacket with a perfectly intact sleeve.

"Lumin powder…" Kagami blinked, his mouth agape.

"Definitely." Himuro nodded. "We've got to tell Alex."

….

Lumin powder, a relatively well-known substance to anyone who had studied strategy. It could be used to blind, distract, and anything else you could think of, but not many had seen it in use. The two facts that almost every soldier knew was that it caused flame that could not burn, and that it had to be enchanted with magic.

The only ones who could use magic were witches and warlocks.

Navigating the forest at night was useless, even with lanterns, so first thing in the morning the three mercenaries were off. They stopped by the church to warn the priest of their suspicions, and assured them that they were going to solve this. Then they hurried to the woods, gear in hand and Kagami leading the way.

The redhead hadn't slept well at all. Despite forcing himself not to think about it, he didn't feel right about all this. He wasn't even sure what was wrong, he just felt… numb about the whole thing.

"Kagami."

It seemed Himuro could tell something was wrong, as he came up beside his friend and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Kagami lied.

"You haven't said anything since we left. I mean, apart from directions." Himuro frowned and jumped over a large root. "I heard you turning in your bed early morning too."

Kagami knew it was useless to lie. He didn't think it was worth saying, or that the other two would understand, but he didn't feel like wallowing in his misery.

"I'm not sure about this." He admitted. "When I met him, he always seemed normal. He never did anything or tried anything, I don't know if I can believe Kuroko's really a warlock…"

"Would you really be able to tell at the time if you're being affected by a spell?" Alex called from behind him. "Maybe he did something to you without you even realising. He could have been experimenting on you while giving you the image of a normal conversation, or been luring you in to make you feel safe. You'd be surprised what magic can do to you, trust me."

Kagami glanced back at his teacher and almost tripped over another root in the ground. He caught his balance by grasping a tree, and looked at the hand that held him up.

"Luring me, in…"

That feeling when it happened, could that have been it? Was that why he had felt so strange when Kuroko had touched his hand?

"Kagami." Himuro tapped his arm and pointed forwards.

A light blue colour showed through the trees.

"Yeah, that's it." Kagami replied, slightly quieter now.

The three separated into a line to surround the pond from their side, Kagami in the middle and the other two a few trees away. He looked at both of them, and stepped out of the tree line. Alex soon followed, and Himuro stayed behind, readying his sling shot.

On the other side of the pond, admiring a single flower growing from the vines on a tree, Kuroko stood unaware with a light smile gracing his expression. Kagami looked to Alex, who looked to Himuro, and then broke a stick under her boot to get attention.

Kuroko jumped slightly and looked over, seeing Kagami first. His smile grew wider.

"I didn't think you would really…"

It didn't take long for Kagami to realise that Kuroko had seen this scene before, because as soon as the other saw the other person he looked like he was ready to run.

"Kuroko, this is my teacher, Alex." Kagami gestured to her, trying to keep Kuroko where he was.

Kuroko looked sceptical, but didn't make any movements to get away. Instead he donned his usual blank expression.

"Kagami-kun has told me a lot about you."

"Same here." Alex smiled, her friendliness a lot more convincing than her student's. "Nice to meet you."

She brought out her hand as if expecting a handshake and Kuroko paused. After a moment of nothing suspicious happening, he began to walk around the pond towards the teacher. As soon as he stepped into shot it took less than a second for the slingshot to go off and the leather bag to hit Kuroko.

Water sprayed all over his head, and the shorter male stumbled back in shock. Kuroko grasped his head, trying to catch his breath, when he felt something run through his sleeves. His head jerked up and he saw black, ink-like water covering his hands. He looked up, seeing Kagami's shock, and could only stare at him with wide eyes.

"Salt water." Alex smiled, taking a rope out of the large bag she'd brought with her. "It washes the colour right out."

Kagami was speechless. One minute Kuroko stood as he had always known, with black hair and dull expressions. The next was a new person, light blue hair and fear in his eyes.

"How did you know?" Kuroko finally got back to his senses, running his hands through his hair to see how much of the colour was running out. He checked in the pond and was unhappy to find that the entire right side of his head had changed to his natural colour, only the left still had bits of black and grey.

"One of my students found lumin powder on his sleeve after visiting you. Considering how suspicious you were already, it wasn't that hard."

"Lumin powder?" Kuroko seemed surprised. "When did I-"

Kuroko frowned to himself in deep thought. Suddenly he realised something and looked at his own right sleeve, then looked at Kagami. His expression changed into something bitter and he looked back to his hand.

"So that's how it is…" He closed his fist slowly. "It looks like I was careless once again."

Alex took a step forwards and Kuroko jumped back, about to run into the trees behind him when an arrow suddenly beat him to the punch. He stopped just before running into the arrow that was buried into the tree in front of him.

"Don't move!" Himuro came out of the trees with a bow and arrow, beginning to circle around the other way to Alex, never taking his aim off the warlock.

The blond followed suit, holding the rope at the ready and closing in on her prey. Despite his shock, Kagami gripped his sword in preparation for the target trying to make an escape.

Kuroko could do nothing but back off, stumbling in between the two closing in, unable to think or speak. There was nothing he could do.

Just as it looked like Kuroko was about to give up, Himuro stepped in line with the trees behind his target. A bush rustled and quickly a figure jumped out and chomped down onto Himuro's arm with a growl.

"Dammit!" Himuro swung arm wildly, the puppy holding on for dear life until he managed to smack the dog's head into the nearby tree.

With a whimper Nigou fell to the ground, Kuroko reached out to him.

"Nigou!" He yelled, only to be caught off guard by Alex's tomahawk to the back of the head.

She'd used the blunt end to knock him out with perfect precision, and just like his pet, Kuroko hit the floor, consciousness fleeting. All at once it was over, Kuroko was down and this was the end. Kagami ran over to join them, just in time to see Alex stuff his once-friend into the bag she brought with her.

"Let me." Himuro offered – only to get his hand smacked by his teacher.

"I'm not that weak!"

"But your back-"

"Don't talk to me like an old lady!"

While the two bickered, Kagami tentatively checked on the dog. Nigou didn't look injured, to Kagami's reluctant relief.

"What are you gonna do with that?" Alex caught Kagami's attention.

"Ah…" He paused. "I'm gonna take it back."

"Fair choice. Don't want it to turn feral and attack people that come in the forest."

"Yeah…"

Since when had he grown this close to a dog of all things?

….

Everyone in the village that knew how to use a bow and arrow had shown up for precaution. Just outside the village stood a large mound of wood and a pillar that was saved just for these occasions. The priest and his disciples stood at the ready with the flame, the helpless villagers watching from as close as they were allowed (which was pretty far away).

In his own space between the pillar and the people, Kagami stood next to a tree with a chained dog whimpering at his feet. After checking that the dog wasn't a danger to anyone, a medic had said that Nigou looked fine after the injury, but would probably end up putting him down after he injured Himuro. Kagami had a feeling that the only reason Nigou was released was so that he could watch his master's punishment. The puppy lay about a meter away from him with the chain tight around his neck, just barely awake by the looks of it. Alex and Himuro stood guard at the pyre, Kagami wondered if they had let him stay back because of the connection him and the warlock used to have.

Because now his friend was tied up there, high enough to see everything that stood against his kind. They'd stripped Kuroko of his clothes and only given him rags from the waist down, as well as washed all the false colour from his hair. Now he was stuck like a twig, his hands at his sides bound by the rope that kept him in the middle of the pyre. He hid his reluctant face from the world, pale skin with light blue eyes and light blue hair. If he wasn't a warlock, he would be picture perfect for an angel instead.

"He who has gone against God, repent!" The priest began, a chorus replying with prayer. "He who has betrayed God's design, repent! Who has fallen to the devil's grace, repent!"

The villagers and disciples of the church prayed in harmony, only Kagami the other mercenaries stayed silent. On the pyre Kuroko raised his head, expression becoming more and more bitter with each passing prayer. He was muttering something to himself, and Kagami could only imagine how much hatred he must have for the people he saw right now. Although, despite thinking that, Kuroko somehow still looked calm. He didn't seem to look at anyone with any spite, he didn't even watch Kagami to look for any guilt. All that covered his expression was regret.

Kagami wondered what it was that Kuroko had wanted to do if he had more time.

"God's flame will burn your sins, and you will return to him whole!" The priest lifted a large stick with 'God's flame'. "Repent your sins magic user, give yourself back to the rightful deity."

As the chorus built higher and higher, the priest tossed the burning stick into the bundle of sticks that made the base and the flames began. It barely took a minute for the entire base of the pyre to become engulfed in flame. The heat licked at Kuroko's feet, and as he saw Kuroko flinch Kagami felt nerves kick up in his own feet.

He could barely watch – so many feelings started to gather in his chest.

They were going to kill Kuroko, weren't they? Was that what Kagami had been avoiding thinking about? Yeah, they were going to kill Kuroko.

He'd done nothing wrong. Kagami was sure of that. But Kagami had made this happen. For what? Because this was the way things were?

Kagami felt the weight of his sword on his belt and bit his lip.

He could end this right now if he wanted to.

The flames grew higher and higher, Kuroko tucked his legs up instinctively as the pyre itself started to burn. His face was the picture of misery, closed eyes refusing to see his own demise.

Right next to Kagami a noise resounded.

 **Bark!**

Kagami looked down, seeing Nigou fully awakened, and Kuroko looked up to see it too. The dog pulled at his chains, desperate to get back to Kuroko.

 **Bark! Bark!**

"Nigou…?" Kuroko watched, seeing Kagami reach to tug on the chain. But he couldn't do it, Kagami couldn't make up his mind. Kuroko clenched his fists. "Nigou…"

Kuroko gripped the ropes. He took in a deep breath and steadied his heart beat.

All of a sudden it seemed like something welled up within him, and his mouth opened with a voice that echoed through the crowds.

 ** _"LIBERA"_**

The ropes on one hand snapped. Much to the crowd's despair he slipped the hand through and raised it to the sky.

 ** _"NIGOU"_**

He brought the hand to his mouth and whistled a loud, resounding whistle that pierced the ears of anyone close enough by.

Kagami watched in wonder, just barely catching a glimpse of the light growing at his feet before something blasted forwards from just in front of him. It caused such a sudden light that the redhead was blinded for a long moment.

By the time he managed to get his vision back, everything had changed.

Everyone in the path towards the pyre had been knocked to the side, all the people brought to the floor from whatever force had pushed its way through. The pyre itself was gone, or rather, knocked so far away from the burnt ashes that the only thing that showed it would have been part of it were the still burning flames on one end. In the pyre's place stood a beast.

It was half as tall as a building with skin that didn't seem tangible. It stood with a wolf-like body with black and white ethereal fur that flowed from it like flames, its blue eyes as piercing as its sharp teeth. Atop its back sat Kuroko, proud on his perch staring at the sky before him. He patted Nigou's back and stroked him gently, giving a sweet smile as he spoke.

"Thank you, Nigou…" His voice was light and tired. "Next time we'll find somewhere better. And… I won't make any more mistakes. I promise."

The giant wolf creature looked back at its master and whined, licking the pale man who laughed gently in response.

Kagami watched the scene, dumbfounded. If it wasn't for the realisation that he was the only one left able to act he would've watched it forever. But that realisation came, and before he could think about it he was running towards the creature.

"Kuroko!" He called out, skidding to a stop a few meters away.

He drew his sword, probably against his better judgement, and met Kuroko's gaze with his own.

He stood there, heart pounding in his ears, as Kuroko watched him with a certain tired grace.

"I haven't given up." Kuroko said to him. "Kagami-kun, I'm going to keep on living and keep learning. I hope that you do the same."

Kagami felt his shoulder relax and his form become loose. He knew he didn't want to fight anymore. Nigou leaned down his head to him and Kagami wasn't sure to pet him or run away. In the end he just stared into Nigou's eyes, who stared right back. Then the wolf began to turn away.

"Goodbye, Kagami-kun."

Kuroko gave one last look before kicking Nigou's side, and the wolf happily obliged to run off faster than any animal Kagami had ever seen. The last sight he saw of Kuroko was with his back to him, wind in his hair, freedom before him.

Somehow the ending left him feeling emptier than he had ever felt before.

He reflected.

Maybe he would go it alone for a while. There was a lot about this world he still didn't know. Maybe one day he would meet Kuroko again. He wandered what he would do on that day.

Maybe he would head for Seirin. He heard that village was getting into something interesting lately.

* * *

Soooooo this one is long u Why is it long? Because I was adding to this one when I should have been working on the other oneshots u;

That being said, the next few might be given every 2 days rather than every 1 (soz!)

Still hope you enjoyed! I'm pretty proud of this one; if I had the time I would probably have made it a whole series.

See you lovely people next chapter~

...

Update: I wont be able to access my computer for the next 3 days, oops :S But I promise I will make it up to you, so see you later!


	4. Day 4

Jealousy (Possessiveness) and Tension

Kagami and Kuroko have been dating for a while now, and in their second year all the GoM schools have rented a place by the beach to train together. Nobody knows that they are dating; suddenly Momoi comes to a realisation that Kuroko isn't going to fall for her any time soon.

Everyone in this is still in high school because plot

* * *

Dating someone like Kuroko was nice, calming, and stressful.

Their first high-school year had come and gone faster than they would've wanted it to, and right at the beginning of the new school year the light and shadow duo realised they couldn't go on as just friends. Since the early summer of their return they'd been officially dating, and now was the time for real preparations for the next tournament. During golden week all of the familiar teams had decided to train together, considering their team-work as the vorpal swords it was not much of a surprise that everyone involved had gotten much closer.

Now came the stressful part, when Kuroko's old teammates brought back old memories and got close to him without a problem. As well as this, his forwardness attracted more attention from those who had eyed him before. Despite his modesty, Kuroko did have a certain cute charm that could attract anyone to him.

Call him an animal, but Kagami couldn't help but get possessive.

It never caused a problem though. When Kuroko snuck a touch under his shirt like the ghost he is, or wrapped his arms around the red-head's neck, he knew that the shadow had eyes just for him.

That's why right now, when he and his shadow were fighting on separate teams in this huge hall their schools had hired out, he could play their game without worrying about anything that was going on in the court next to him. While some teams exercised outside, Seirin and Rakuzan had the hall for an hour where two separate courts were set up. While he worked on getting past Akashi's defense, Kuroko was figuring out how to make more use of his skills when his misdirection wouldn't work.

"Okay everyone!" From off the side, Riko blew her whistle and waited for the noise to die down. "Take a five minute break. No extra practice, and no long bathroom trips!"

Some of the Seirin group groaned while the Rakuzan group looked at each other as if wondering why she would have to mention that. Riko sighed, thinking about the life as a coach she could've had.

Kagami went to their bench, grabbed a towel off of Momoi – who had decided to watch her crush working hard – and grabbed his water. He rested on the bench next to the standing manager and downed as much of the drink as he could handle.

"Hahh…" Momoi sighed. It was a sweet, maiden sigh that was impossible to ignore.

"What's up with you?" Kagami said as delicately as a flower, (not).

"I'm just sad." Momoi sighed. "About Tetsu. I'm thinking of giving up on him…"

"Giving up…?" The red-head muttered, eyebrows raised.

Kagami tried not to show how happily surprised he was. Momoi's eccentric crush on Kuroko had bothered him a little every time the pink haired manager had been mentioned, so this news wasn't exactly heart breaking. Still, what tipped her off after all this time? If she was the first to guess their relationship, he was afraid the asshole from her team was next.

"What made you think of that? You seriously like him don't you?"

"Yeah, but I just can't argue with sexual tension."

Sexual tension? Were they that obvious?

"W-What are you talking about? Kuroko with someone else? He's like a stone!"

"Yeah but not when it comes to basketball. It's just so obvious that it hurts! I just want to say 'get on with it already' and put my crush out of its misery once and for all."

Kagami sighed in relief. He would have to talk to Kuroko later about telling her, but for now it looked like they were safe.

"Dammit! Look, see?" Momoi caught his attention again. "They're doing it again, why can't they just get a room?"

Kagami followed her gaze to find his boyfriend and another guy glaring at each other.

Mayuzumi. The fake phantom.

She wasn't serious, right?

"Those two? What makes _those_ two so special?!" He tried to tone it down but his voice was a bit more aggressive than he wanted. Luckily Momoi was already peeved enough not to notice.

"I know right? What does that taller fake Tetsu have that I don't? He doesn't even compare to the real one in any way!" She huffed and placed her cheek back in her palm. "But just look at them. They keep staring at each other with that glare all the time whenever they're near each other. They haven't seen each other since the last winter cup and they still have that much burning between them."

"I'm pretty sure that's just because they hate each other."

"I wish. They're more like rivals. If you had manager's eyes you could see it: they're bouncing off each other."

Kagami focused.

Kuroko and Mayuzumi had moved on from their glaring contest and were practicing lay-ups. Neither was especially great, but Mayuzumi was clearly better and they both knew it. He could see the grey-haired phantom smirk at his enemy, and in return Kuroko would grit his teeth and try harder. Then Kuroko would look determined as ever, and it ticked Mayuzumi off so he would try even harder to show off.

The longer he watched, the longer it grinded on him. He could really see it, that they were bouncing off each other. Momoi too probably, because she sighed and shifted away from the bench, brushing off her skirt.

"I guess that's that then. I'd wish them luck but I kind of hope this competition would be the last time they ever see each other. Maybe I'll have a better shot next year."

The pink-haired manager strolled away to the door, leaving to go back to her own team so that she wouldn't have to watch it anymore, while Kagami stared, seething.

Mayuzumi.

Apparently ever since the last winter cup he'd been cast on the back burner, taken off the starting line-ups of Rakuzan and placed back in the reserve. Surprisingly he didn't quit basketball, but instead doubled his efforts. Could it be that he wanted to face Kuroko again? Even if that was true, it would just be for revenge. Being called the better version of someone that beat you wouldn't help your pride any. Still, even something like that was, well, obsessive, like a fixation.

Could it be-? No way, there's not that kind of connection between them.

He watched them finish their practice and steal glances at each other again. Kagami felt his blood start to boil. It took far too long for Kuroko to make his way to their bench.

"Hey." The ghost smiled at him, wiping some sweat from his forehead.

Kagami passed him the water bottle in his hands, which Kuroko took and thanked him for, slowly drinking from it.

The red-head watched him, seeing the gap between his shirt and shorts from the way his torso stretched, eyes fixing on the pale skin that he wanted to slide his fingers across. With a quiet, satisfied sigh Kuroko past back the bottle and sat next to the red-head. Kagami took another swig while Kuroko stared at him.

"Kagami-kun…" He lifted his hand, placing it against the red-head's temple. "You're sweating a lot, don't work yourself too hard."

"Yeah yeah, I got it." Kagami put his bottle down and pretended to slap Kuroko's hand away. In reality he moved his hand softly, dragging his knuckles and fingers across Kuroko's palm for as long as he convincingly could.

Kuroko moved his hand back, but didn't take his gaze away from the red-head. They could only keep it for a second before they both looked away, taking care of their sweat and thirst.

It wasn't nearly enough. Kagami felt unsatisfied.

….

The sunset was beautiful from the guest house. It sat on a hill by the beach, the cooperation between schools getting enough money for a large building with two floors for the teams to rest. Outside was an open space, enough for several school teams to practice wherever they wanted. There were fields, hills, parks, everything they could use. It was no surprise that so many of the players had decided to continue their training even after dinner, if only because there was nothing better to do. With a staff-cooked meal in their stomachs, (thankfully not the team staff but people with actual experience), Kagami was getting ready for a jog with the other Seirin second years.

"Come on Tetsu, it's not like you're gonna improve all that much."

Kagami grit his teeth. He glanced behind him to see Kuroko interrupted by his old team-mates, _again_.

"Kuroko-chi, I wanna show you this cool new move!"

"As if it would make much difference to your play, you ranked lowest today after all."

"Hey I've improved a lot thank you very much! I just had a bad day!"

"We'll see how that is tomorrow."

"Or we could just go see now, how about a two-on-two?" Aomine interrupted the blondie and the grass head, pulling Kuroko closer to him with his arm around his shoulder. "You'll be on my team, right Tetsu?"

"Then there's no contest." Midorima frowned.

"It's fine, all we have to do is make sure Midorima doesn't get the ball and we're set."

"That's not the point!" Kise whined.

Meanwhile, Kuroko was trying hard to get out of the hold.

"I already promised the others I was going to head out with them, please let go of me."

"But you're _always_ hanging out with them Kuroko-chi…" Kise huffed, leaning towards the smaller player. "Cant you spend more time with us? Pretty please?"

"Have some shame." Midorima slapped the blonde on the shoulder. "Don't beg for attention like a dog."

"I'm not a dog! I'm more like an adorable puppy, even my senpai admitted it."

"Are you sure you weren't dreaming it?"

"That doesn't mean anything, he said it I'm telling you!"

"Not if it was a dream!"

"Oi!" The four turned to the door, where Kagami was casting a deadly glare. "Kuroko, let's go. The other guys are waiting outside."

Kagami stood up, rolling his shoulders, as Kuroko promptly got out of Aomine's loosened hold.

"And for your information…" Kagami looked to Aomine. "Seirin players never stop improving, so if you're gonna run your mouth I'm gonna accept that as a challenge."

"Is that so?" Aomine grinned, turning to him. "Sounds interesting, I'd love to see you back that up."

"Kagami-kun." Kuroko tugged on Kagami's sleeve, telling him not to get involved right now.

"Yeah yeah. I'll get you tomorrow, for now I've got more important things than your bad attitude to deal with."

"Oi!"

The light and shadow hurried off before they could get any more distracted.

Kagami wasn't intending to get carried into something anyway. Tonight he was going to be close to Kuroko, and he was going to savour every moment they were alone – because they sure as hell were scarce here.

….

The cool ocean air was a blessing on the players' skin.

The Seirin group ran along the beach, focusing on keeping their energy in moderation until they were running back to the house. Though, in natural fashion, Kagami was obviously much more energized than the rest of the group. That being said, he did a good job of sticking close by his shadow, who in turn silently thanked him while pretending he wasn't already exhausted. The other three stuck behind them, Riko's voice in their head warning them of what might come if they try to quit early. Her training paid off in the fear department at least.

Kagami watched the horizon, feeling the light burn in his leg and thumping sand under his feet, and wondered if Kuroko was feeling okay after all that training.

He glanced to the side, seeing Kuroko focused on the way ahead of him. Kuroko's motions were smooth, practiced. It showed how many times he had played this exact scene, readying himself for the task ahead of him. His skin was dried of the sweat from the day, but it still glistened from the hard work it had gone through to keep him cool. Kagami had meant to only look for a second but he found himself mesmerised by the Kuroko's motions when he ran. The way Kuroko's clothes jostled as he ran, revealing the skin underneath, moving with his body. He was staring for long enough that he caught Kuroko's quick glance towards him. He wondered if Kuroko was a bit embarrassed, since the ghost looked back at him quickly and gave a modest smile. He gave one in return, feeling stress roll off his shoulders.

Damn, he wanted to be alone with him.

"Huh? What are those guys doing here?"

The two were snapped out of their moment by Furihata's voice and scared noises from the other two. They looked forward to see a group of people playing on one of the make-shift courts not too far outside the place where they were staying. It took a moment to realise that someone was standing on the edge, staring down at them with folded arms and a stare they could recognise from 10 meters away.

"Ah, it's Rakuzan." Kuroko slowed to a stop, the others following suit.

Akashi began to walk down towards them, a few of the others joining him just to see what was going on. Kagami spied Mayuzumi just behind the red-head, and scowled.

"Hello there." Akashi gave a welcoming nod and smile.

"It's good to see you Akashi-kun, although it's only been a few hours. Are you practicing?"

"Yes, in fact I'm glad you came around."

Kagami glanced away. "At least you're not going to behead anyone…" He muttered, getting a rushed elbow in the ribs from Waka who was very eager not to 'disrespect the emperor'.

"I wouldn't do that, torture is much more effective at stress relief."

The Seirin group, save for Kuroko, jumped in fright at the pleasant tone Akashi had said that so naturally in. Akashi blinked at their reaction.

"That was a joke."

The group sighed in relief. Akashi raised his arms slightly at Kuroko.

"I don't know what it is. I've heard other people make similar jokes before."

"It's probably your delivery." Kuroko replied blankly. "You weren't the best at telling jokes in Teiko. I don't suppose you've gotten better at them after a couple years."

"I appreciate your hurtful honesty." If Akashi would use sarcasm, that would have probably been close enough to it. "Anyway, moving on. We want to practice defence, but we have an odd number of people. If you would like to join us it would help a lot, although a few of you may simply end up playing against yourselves."

Akashi seemed honest enough in his approach, but Mayuzumi rolled his eyes.

"Playing against those guys, it's a waste of time." He muttered, though loud enough on purpose for the Seirin group to hear.

Kuroko frowned and approached him.

"It appears you still have trauma from the first winter cup, since you already know we would win, Mayuzumi-kun."

That struck a cord. Mayuzumi's expression physically 'twinged' as he glared at Kuroko. He fixed it as he leaned down to match Kuroko's height.

"If you really want to test me, then perhaps we should have a private one-on-one."

"That's fine with-" Kuroko was interrupted by Kagami who suddenly wrapped his arms around his collar and dragged him backwards.

"Kuroko, I wanna talk to you." Was all he said, continuing dragging.

"Um, can it wait just a moment?"

"No, no it can't."

He kept dragging and dragging backwards, then took a turn and went down the beach, continuing to drag. The rest stared at the two, completely lost for words. Eventually Akashi shrugged it off and approached the others.

"I suppose that settles it. You will keep us company, wont you?" He said with an unreadable smile.

Furihata froze up, while the other two hid behind him. They gulped in unison. They certainly still had trauma from the first winter cup.

….

About two minutes of dragging, a hit on the head, and another minute of jogging away from where he had been dragged off from, Kuroko found he was taken to a park that the teams usually spent warming up in during the day time. Surrounding that park was a small mass of trees that didn't quite take up enough space to be called woods. It was there that Kagami had taken Kuroko by the wrist, brought out of sight of anyone who could see the area, and now held the ghost against a tree.

"K-Kagami-kun, hey- watch your hands!"

Kuroko tried to keep his voice neutral as he pushed Kagami's cooled hands from the hot skin underneath his shirt. It was especially hard with the feeling of the red-head's lips just below his ear, moving down to bite lightly at the crook in his neck, making his the nerves between his neck and collar shiver.

"I'm annoyed." Came Kagami's excuse. "You keep annoying me, so let me have this."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kuroko grit his teeth, still gripping Kagami's wrist even though he didn't stop the hand snaking around his back.

"Nothing."

"It's not nothing, I'm not just giving up without an explanation." He moved his hands to Kagami's hunched shoulders and tried to push him away, only to feel Kagami pull his body closer. A light noise escaped his lips and he covered his mouth in embarrassment, trying to ignore how the heat coming from the other made his body turn to jelly.

"I don't expect you to." Kagami growled as he moved back just to smirk at the ghost. "Not giving up is something I like about you."

Kuroko felt a spark run up his spine. He stared into the other's fiery eyes and gulped, regaining his composure, and frowned at the red-head in an attempt of seriousness.

"If that's the case, then I'll get your reasons for acting strange sooner or later."

"You can try." Kagami lowered his eyes to Kuroko's lips, bringing a hand to cup his cheek.

"Listen to me." Before he could get too close, Kuroko resisted him by clasping a hand over Kagami's mouth. Anything less and he probably would have given in to the kiss at this rate. Instead, Kuroko straightened himself up and stared at Kagami properly in the eyes. "How have I annoyed you?"

Kagami looked back at him, expression unreadable. He looked away with a 'tch'.

"Kagami-kun." Kuroko frowned.

Kuroko sighed. He readjusted himself against the tree to get a better angle to look up to Kagami with and raised his hands to wrap around the back of Kagami's neck. He pulled the red-head closer and pressed their lips together firmly, taking a long second before releasing him with a light popping sound. They stayed close with gentle eye-contact.

"I'm not psychic, and I want to know what's wrong. Keeping it to yourself won't solve anything."

Kuroko's expression was as firm and honest as usual, and Kagami knew he couldn't keep anything from that face. Kagami sighed and turned his head away.

"I… I'm just jealous."

Kuroko blinked in surprise.

"You're jealous? Why?"

"I'm jealous… because, you're…" He grit his teeth, pent up emotions stopping him from saying anything. "I'm jealous because you're close with that fake phantom! Alright?"

Once again, Kuroko paused. It took him a moment to even understand what Kagami was getting at.

"You mean, Mayuzumi?" He questioned. "You think I'm too close to Mayuzumi-kun?"

"I- no, you're not, you can be close to anyone you like right? Just, your old manager said something and it just got me worried and, you know."

"Momoi said something?"

"Y-Yeah." Kagami took a deep breath, finally able to look Kuroko in the eye again. "She was saying how she was gonna give up chasing you 'cause she realised you were already taken."

"By you?"

"That's what I thought, right? You would think she would be the first to know. But she said she was sure it was you and the fake guy, just 'cause you guys are always lookin' at each other and trying to get at each other. It just made me realise how much that actually happens and, well, it's got me makin' up stuff…"

Kuroko was clearly getting the gist of everything, although it still took him a second to get out of the shock. When he did, he lifted his hands again and slapped Kagami's cheeks.

"Ow-" Kagami moved back a bit, rubbing his face with a frown.

"That's for letting your assumptions get the better of you." Kuroko frowned. He pulled Kagami back in by his shirt, resting his arms around the taller player's waist and on his back. "Kagami-kun, I don't even like Mayuzumi. I mean he's not the worst person in the world, but even I can be petty sometime. He stole my thing."

"Yeah, he totally did." Kagami nodded and straightened himself up with a light stretch, getting all the bad feelings from admitting that out of his system. Then he rested his palms on the tree, leaning down just enough to comfortably look Kuroko in the eye. "I know you said you don't like him, but you're always competing against him when you're together. You two get close up and personal and there's a lot of stuff you two could probably agree on."

"You just completely described your relationship with Aomine-kun."

Kagami almost bit his tongue.

"Bu-! T-That's just-!"

"Just a rivalry. I've accepted that." Kuroko nodded. "And you've got to accept this. Maybe I get a bit too heated when it comes to him, but believe me when I say he's not my type. There are so many reasons I like you, Kagami-kun, and one of the main ones is just because you are who you are. So please, talk to me when you're worried about these kinds of things, I promise I will reassure you."

Kagami deflated, watching Kuroko as a smile began to grace his lip. He felt his face heat up and his heart beat faster. Kuroko seriously was amazing.

"Ah dammit." He wrapped his arms around Kuroko and brought him close, holding him firmly as he pressed his chin into the ghost's shoulder. "I seriously like you, you idiot."

Kuroko could only laugh lightly in response, bringing his arms around Kagami to return the gesture.

"I feel the same way, Kagami-kun." He said, and burrowed his head into Kagami's warm chest.

For a moment Kagami tightened his grip, just to feel Kuroko in his arms. Kuroko was his – he knew it for sure now more than ever. Even if he was the type to get a little possessive, he didn't want to get in Kuroko's way.

He let his grip go and leaned back with only a loose wrap around the ghost.

"Damn, I can't shake it off." Kagami looked away in embarrassment. "Even though I knew it was dumb, I was taking it seriously. I couldn't even tell it to you straight."

"It's fine Kagami-kun, it shows that you care." Kuroko smiled, his expression getting brighter with a light chuckle. "In fact I was a little dumbfounded. Jealous Kagami is surprisingly cute; you even dragged me off like a possessive puppy with its toy."

"O-Oi! I am not a puppy!"

"That's right." Kuroko smiled up at him and pressed his nose. "You're my tiger, Taiga."

Kagami froze up, all the heat in his body rushing into his head so that all he could hear was Kuroko's stifled laughter.

Kuroko was so cute, he never wanted to give him up. His ghost was going to be the death of him.

* * *

I'm back to finish what I started! And continuing with this one that I did not have a lot of time on ;u; (will be coming back to check it once I've completed this series)

Also while I'm here: I know that I've been away from fanfiction for a long time but daaaaaamn where the kagakuro fics at? Almost makes me want to go ahead with my weird ideas from last year… almost.

I shall fill up this series of oneshots with all the Kagakuro for now! And like I said I would make it up to all of you: I will make this my focus for the next few days, and release the rest of the oneshots every day as originally planned!

Anyways hope you enjoyed, would love some feedback and see you all next chapter~!


	5. Day 5

Once again I focused so much on one chapter *le hungry cry* but I'm proud of this one too! I hope you enjoy:

 **My Obnoxious Neighbour**

* * *

A new place can be the start of a new life, and Kagami's new life wasn't looking half bad. He'd put everything away, cleaned up the boxes, and now he had his new apartment all sorted out just the way he'd liked it. It wasn't huge like the one he'd had in high school, or maybe that one was just emptier. Either way, it definitely wasn't small. Better yet, it had plenty of light coming in from the balcony.

A big master bedroom with a comfy king-sized bed, main room with two couches in an L shape, the balcony shown by a large double-glazed window that took up most of the wall, and a bathroom leading off the main room with bright lighting and plenty of space.

Just to put the cherry on the cake, he'd saved going out on the balcony just for when he'd finished moving in. He'd only seen it once when he was checking the place out the first time, and now he was going to embrace it properly.

Dressed in his everyday casual, he stepped out into the sunlight. Wind swept through his hair, and he could feel the warmth of the sunlight on the metal gate before him as he grabbed it. He stared at the view before him, wondering what could possibly make this day better. He embraced his new life with a deep breath…

Only to be interrupted with one of his most feared sounds.

 **"Bark!"**

Kagami almost fell against the grate, his calming breath getting caught in his throat. His nerves kicked off, but he refused to accept it. It was just a mistake, right? Some weird building construction that just so happened to sound like-

 **"Barf! Bark!"**

He almost choked on nothing. He looked slowly to his right, shaking as he moved, and paled as he saw it.

A small… dog.

A black and white dog with bright blue eyes stared up at him with a happy smile, panting in the heat with its tongue sticking out.

Kagami gulped. He let go of the railings, feeling his arms begin to sweat and his legs growing weak. He took a few steps back to the window, watching the dog all the while. He had everything under control until the dog suddenly ran closer, and Kagami screamed internally as he panicked to get back into his own home.

Kagami slammed the windows closed behind him and collapsed on the closest couch, gripping the material and struggling to catch his breath.

Screw his new life.

Kagami had spent the next few days getting used to his new routine. He'd met a few of his neighbours, but had yet to see the dog owner to his right. In those few days he'd tried to go back on his balcony, but after the first incident he was just paranoid that the dog would show up again. It took a total of five tries after the first time for him to finally think he'd never seen the canine again, only to get a surprise on the last one. He didn't even look to see the dog when he'd heard the bark, just ran back in and slammed the windows shut.

That was when he swore he would finally do something.

After a good few moments of steeling himself, Kagami left his apartment and locked the door behind him. …Then unlocked it, in case he would need to make a getaway. Then he stepped in front of his neighbour's door, took a few deep breaths, and slammed his fist on it for three loud knocks.

He brushed his hand through his red hair, feeling his heartbeat in his ears.

 _It's just a little dog. A little dog that I never have to see again after this._

It took a few moments before a clack was heard from the other side of the door. The knob jimmied open, and soon it opened wide to reveal Kagami's neighbour. There were a lot of people more 'petite' than him, but this guy was small with the frame of someone who took pride in their fitness. The guy stood in casual clothes, staring up at him with a look so blank it could be called unique. But somehow, even if he was imagining it, Kagami thought he could see something welcoming behind the incredibly average appearance.

"Hello, can I help you?" The guy watched him.

Kagami snapped out of his trance, realising he had been staring at him. Weird, that was definitely weird of him.

"Yeah you can, I'm your neighbour, moved in recently." Kagami gestured to his door.

"Yes I know that. I've seen you once or twice around here, but you're usually heading in so I haven't had a chance to talk to you."

"Huh?" Kagami blinked. Usually he was perceptive, it was weird to think that he'd never noticed this guy before. "Urh, sorry about that. Well, I guess I'm saying hi now, so…"

"That's right. My name if Kuroko Tetsuya." Kuroko gave him a warm smile. Kagami watched how his seemingly dull eyes gaining a certain spark as he did, as if any small motion lit them up. Kuroko stepped out of the way, keeping his door open. "Would you like to come in? If you have time I mean."

"O-Oh, yeah." Kagami thanked him and stepped in, taking a look around.

Everything seemed relatively similar to his own place, the layout and everything was only slightly changed. However, it was obvious that the other had been living there longer considering there were more personalised things here and there like table cloths and cushions. It felt very… homely. Kagami remembered there were rules about taking your shoes off and went to put his away, noticing there were a few pairs at the rack that didn't look like they would fit the guy at the door.

"Do you live here with anyone else?"

"No. Why?" Kuroko shook his head as he passed Kagami, taking a peak to see what could have possibly tipped him off. He noticed the shoes and frowned. "Ah, yeah. Those, those aren't mine."

And that was all that was said on the topic. Kuroko wandered off into the exposed kitchen while Kagami just took a second to shrug it off. He made his way to the couch and made himself at him, laying back in his seat. Then he noticed something on the table and picked it up with a grin.

"Hey, I get the same magazine." He flipped open the sports magazine, checking a familiar page he was looking at earlier. "Are you into basketball?"

"Yeah, good guess. How did you know?" Kuroko came over with a glass of water for himself.

"Just lucky." Kagami smirked and dropped the magazine. "I used to play it _all_ the time back in school, wish I still had time for it now."

"Do you not play anymore?"

"Oh I still do, every Saturday there's this group that plays at a gym not too far from here. You wanna come down this week?"

"Hm? Really?" Kuroko seemed a little surprised, and was almost hesitant to reply, but seemed happy when he did. "Sure, I would love to."

Kagami saw a hint of excitement on his neighbour's face, and suddenly felt himself get pumped. He was definitely going to get along with this neighbour, he just knew it.

"By the way," Kuroko cocked his head to the side a bit, "what made you come over?"

What made him come over? Kagami had forgotten all about that, and he actually had a hard time remembering. Wasn't he here to tell Kuroko off about something?

 **"Bark!"**

Suddenly, the reminder came back to him whether he liked it or not.

"Bwah!" Kagami scooted back in his seat, legs up to his chest as he spotted the black and white thing wagging its tail near his legs. "That!" He pointed. "That right there is why I'm here!"

Kuroko watched him, completely lost for the moment. The little dog also watched him with the same confused eyes, but a much more openly happy dog smile with his tongue sticking out and fluffy tail brushing everything in its happy sweep.

"You came here for Nigou?" Kuroko picked up his dog, giving it a little pet on the head in greeting. "I didn't know you two had met."

"Oh we met." Kagami growled. He steeled himself with a frown, eyeing the dog like he was going to curse it, all while hiding against the corner of the couch like a cornered cat. "That _thing_ scared the life out of me on my balcony!"

"Did he? That sounds dangerous." He frowned and bopped Nigou's nose lightly with his finger. "Naughty."

"Tch, come on and take this seriously!" Kagami got off the couch, backing away from the pair. "I don't wanna see that dog again, you get it?"

Kuroko was obviously surprised by that one. He wrapped his dog in his arms and looked at the other with a frown.

"I'm sorry?"

"You heard me, I cant go out into the balcony knowing that thing might be there waiting for me!"

"He's a foot tall."

"I'm not blind."

Kagami grit his teeth, trying to ignore how emasculated he felt looking at the puppy be cute and derpy in its owner's arms. Meanwhile, cogs were turning in Kuroko's head, until he finally looked at the other with a mixture of exhaustion and pity.

"You're scared of dogs."

"Y-Yeah, so what?"

"So, that would've been nice to know before you freaked out."

"I didn't-" Kagami felt his rage boiling in his blood, and knew he had to calm himself down. He took a deep breath. "Look, even if you think that thing is 'the most shweetist puddum in the whole wide world', I don't know how that thing will act around me. And, as far as I know, pets aren't allowed in this place are they? I wonder what would happen if the owner found out about him…"

Kagami acted innocent, but he wondered if he'd crossed a line when he swore he saw a panicked look on Kuroko's face. It was only for a second, because immediately after that Kuroko was glaring at him.

"That's cruel."

"It's more cruel that you'd just let that thing freak me out."

"I never said I wouldn't do anything." As blank-faced as Kuroko was, he was clearly angry by now. So, now it was his turn to calm down. He took a step to the couch and sat down, letting down his dog and giving 'Nigou' a pat. "Listen, I understand. If you're really that afraid of dogs I will keep Nigou inside unless I step out with him. But don't report him."

"I dunno, maybe I'll keep it in my pocket until I know for sure you're keeping your end of the deal."

"I mean it." Kuroko suddenly looked at him. "Nigou is my most loyal friend, he means a lot to me. As well as that… he's helping me through a rough time right now. If I had to get rid of him I don't know what I'll do."

Kagami raised a brow. He watched Kuroko carefully, taking in every last detail of him looking down at nothing. Whether he was depressed or just thoughtful, Kagami felt his heart aching. He sighed and scratched his head.

"Look, I know I sound mean but I'm not gonna report him. Even if that dog freaks me out, I'm not the type of guy just to do something like that. Just wanted to make sure, as all…" He moved to scratch his cheek instead, acting aloof as he awkwardly continued. "Y-You know, if something's on your mind, chatting with a human might be better than chatting with a dog…"

Kuroko looked up, once more slightly surprised. He was glad Kagami was looking away, because he felt a wide smile creep up on him. He didn't know his neighbour that well, so Kuroko didn't want to be too open with him.

"Thank you. And, as for the issue…" Kuroko cleared his expression and also acted aloof. "I'm just going through a break-up. I've been with my boyfriend for… well, since middle-school. It's been tough on us both, coming to terms with it."

Kagami glanced over to the other. So, Kuroko was into guys. Casually noted.

"Ah, right." He shrugged. "So none of my business I guess. Still, if you ever need anything, just knock and all that."

Kuroko nodded with a grunt, watching Kagami go towards the door. The red-head put his shoes back on, acting calm and collected as he casually avoided looking in the dog's general direction – even though he just knew that it was somewhere behind him, watching him, ugh…

Kagami opened the door and turned his head.

"I'm Kagami, by the way." He said. "Kagami Taiga."

And with that, he left and closed the door behind him, not waiting for any reaction from the other. He made his way to his house, accidentally locked his door after forgetting he had unlocked it before, and eventually made it into his house where he could collapse on his own couch without any judgement.

Kuroko Tetsuya, huh? That guy… he was kinda weird. Not in a bad way though.

….

A couple of weeks had passed since he had noticed his new neighbour move in. Kuroko was sure he had seen the red-head moving his boxes in on the first day, but didn't want to disturb him at the time. Who would have thought the way that they would have met was purely because of Nigou?

Unfortunately, even though Kagami had seemed like a really good friend to have at first, he couldn't have him round because he wouldn't get along with Nigou. On top of that, Kagami had certainly been rude in his approach to dealing with his fear of his cute little puppy. Nevertheless, since he had gone Kuroko had come to almost miss the guy. To be honest his break up was going as smoothly as ever – as in a slow and rocky road to a place that didn't really seem like paradise – and after meeting someone like Kagami he couldn't help but think about the guy. Not as in a new boyfriend- no, no, Kuroko was not ready for that. He thought. But Kagami certainly seemed like a strong-willed person, and he was amusing too, the perfect kind of guy to have around in this situation.

Somehow, he wished to still be good friends with Kagami. He had even planned on asking him again about that basketball thing this week.

Yes, he had planned to be friends with the good guy that was Kagami. Until he ticked Kuroko off.

A Wednesday, not a holiday for anyone, Kuroko laid in his bed waiting for the blissful sleep that would carry him to the next day. He had to get up as early as usual, but he was just on time to get a perfectly normal amount of sleep. But nope. Loud, thumping American music from next door decided that he was not going to get sleep that night. From what he could tell it was coming from the room right next to his bedroom – and that meant that Kagami was playing loud music late at night like some jock at a high school party.

Oh, oh how Kuroko seethed. Minutes, hours passed, all the while Kuroko was giving it a chance for the music to stop. By the time he had fallen into an irritated sleep he was so off balance that his dreams were filled with irritants – mostly featuring one red-headed neighbour. Needless to say, the next day didn't go well for Kuroko. He didn't get much sleep of any good quality, and was thrown off the entire day. All the while he could only think about how much sleep he was going to get that night. Thankfully his body complied, and after he got home, had a short meal and got changed, Kuroko was swiftly swept off to dreamland.

For about 3 hours.

After which the music decided to storm up again, a particularly violent beat-drop waking Kuroko like a boulder to the face. Kuroko jumped in his bed, sitting up and looking around like he was still in the dream and anything could be happening. By the time he realised Kagami had started up again, he was already annoyed.

He missed the days when people were afraid of getting him annoyed.

After a quick change into something more presentable, Kuroko left his house to storm to the one next to him. He slammed his fist on Kagami's door.

Three times.

Six times.

Twelve times.

Sure Kuroko felt like a buzzkill, but at least he was a justified buzz kill. He was a working man! A stressed out, sleep-deprived working man, who was also disappointed he had to be annoyed at his new friend once again.

Just as he was considering knocking again, the door opened to reveal the red-head looking vibrant, in his element. Kagami looked down at his neighbour with a smirk, leaning on the doorframe with a drink in his hand that Kuroko wasn't even sure was some new beer or some new energy drink.

"Hey, want to join the party?" Kagami welcomed him, just a little louder than normal to be heard perfectly over the music blaring from inside.

Kuroko frowned at him, and took a second to look past him. The house was empty of people aside from Kagami, and everything seemed in place. The only thing disrupting the seemingly peaceful environment was the music, which Kuroko clearly couldn't comprehend.

"What are you doing?"

"Like I said, having a party." Kagami chuckled. "I don't mind letting you in, don't know if you wanna change your clothes first though."

The way Kagami looked him up and down almost made him feel naked – although that was probably more the break-up than anything. Obvious emotional issues aside, it had been a long while since Kuroko had been, urm, 'satisfied'.

Thinking about that stuff with Kagami in front of him made the ghostly male fidget.

"There's nothing wrong with my clothes." Kuroko looked away, acting stubborn but really just trying to keep his cool. It kind of helped when Kagami laughed it off.

"Hey I'm not saying anything, just never seen someone roll into a party with a T-shirt, slippers and slacks combo before."

"They were the closest thing to grab." Kuroko frowned back at him. "I was in bed before I was rudely awakened by your loud music."

"Ah, sorry about that." Kagami shrugged. "That sucks. But now that you're up, wanna hang out?"

"No I don't 'want to hang out', I want you to turn off the music."

Kagami gave something between a pout and a scorn, before pretending he didn't hear him.

"What did you say?"

Kuroko grit his teeth, but played along.

"I said, I want you to turn off that music!"

"Huh?"

Kagami leaned in close, perfect distance for Kuroko to grab his ear and talk into it.

"Turn off the music!"

"Gagh- jeez!" Kagami threw his head back, rubbing his ear. "I get it I get it, I was just kidding."

Kuroko sighed out his previous anger and folded his arms.

"Why must you play such music anyway? It's the middle of the week. Don't you have work?"

"Nope." Kagami shrugged. "Got work off until Sunday. It's my last chance to party for a while, so I figured I'd jam it into these few days. Unlike a stick-in-the-mud like you, I know how to relax."

"Then why don't you go to a club or something?"

"Those places don't have my kind of music."

"American music?"

"I grew up there, got an appreciation for the music." Kagami waved it off. "Besides, who wants to dance in a sea of drunk toddlers when I could listen to what I want and check out awesome dunks from my own front room?"

"Then put on headphones."

"'ts not the same."

"It'll have to do." Kuroko was getting something similar to scorn on his expression. "Your holiday cant be that important that you have to be selfish and indulge yourself at the expense of everyone else."

"Oh yeah?" Kagami raised his brow. He leaned in close to Kuroko, who was sure how to react. "After next week I get on call. I'm a fire fighter, even if I'm off-duty I've got to be ready for an emergency. Cant be listening to loud-ass music all night if I got to check my phone every 20 minutes."

Once again, Kagami managed to surprise Kuroko. He had no idea Kagami had such a profession. Honestly if he had to say Kuroko would have gone with anywhere in-between body-builder and fast-food server. Deciding not to say that, Kuroko steeled his resolve and stared back at Kagami.

"Congratulations for you, you do a wonderful service. However, a counter-point. I'm a teacher. I will be teaching kids tomorrow, and if one of them asks me if they should be a firefighter and I am too tired to answer there may be one less fire-fighter in the world, so I think it'll be headphones after all don't you?"

Checkmate. Kuroko wasn't happy to boast about himself, but it was satisfying to at least level with Kagami. Surprisingly, the red-head didn't seem all that defeated.

"Fair point." Kagami threw up his hands and turned away slightly. "Here's a deal then. I'll cut out the music, if you promise to work hard with those kids tomorrow. And throw in some words about how awesome fire-fighters are."

Kuroko watched Kagami walk inside, out of sight. He thought about those words and felt his heart race a little. He didn't need Kagami to tell him to work hard for the kids…

A second later the music was off and Kagami was walking back with a satisfied smirk on his face. It kind of annoyed Kuroko, like he was shoving his own victory in his face.

"There you go, happy?" Kagami shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Yes, very."

"The offer is still up you know, if you have time between naps. It's not too late for a quiet party."

Kuroko was slightly caught off by guard, but didn't let it show.

"I'd rather party with my dog, thank you. He's been quite excitable lately, you know?"

Kuroko watched in amusement as Kagami visibly froze up a bit. The red-head retreated into his home, taking the hint.

"Alright alright, sorry for everything and whatever. Have a good night."

"The same to you." Kuroko smiled at Kagami as he closed the door, and then he was making his way inside his own home.

Thinking about it, Kagami really was an annoying guy. Even though he didn't seem to be the showy type, he was getting in his way all through the conversation. It was like he was keeping up the argument just for the sake of the conversation. Not that Kuroko had been as direct as he could of. Thinking about it, it made him a little nervous. Usually Kuroko was so direct, and not nearly as expressive.

This guy, Kagami, he was so out of the ordinary that it was annoying.

….

It had been quite a while now. Everything was moving at a steady pace, and eventually Kagami got used to his new life. Now everything seemed normal, even with the rain pouring outside like this Kagami felt just as he always did. He was thinking about things on his couch, as you do on a late afternoon off on a rainy day. A thought crossed his mind that he should probably take out the garbage, since he could because of the dumping bins being under a roof. So he grabbed his bin and made his way outside, just in time to hear some clacking and unzipping from close by. He stepped out and looked to his neighbour, who was outside his house messing around with his bag.

"Hey." He greeted, a little taken aback by Kuroko's appearance.

Kuroko glanced at him, almost not expecting anyone to be around him.

"Ah, hey."

He continued messing around inside his bag full of, well god knows what. It looked like knick-knacks, and a few pieces of clothing here and there. Kuroko's hands looked paler than usual, and he noticed that Kuroko was dripping wet in several places even though there was a dripping umbrella hanging off Kuroko's doorknob.

"The rain is really something out there." Kagami hummed.

"Yes, it really is." Kuroko sighed. "I didn't expect it to get that bad and I had to walk from a distance."

"Where did you come from?"

"I was just out somewhere…" Kuroko seemed too preoccupied with searching through his bag to talk properly. He only managed to mutter to himself. "Where? My key was supposed to be…"

Kagami noticed Kuroko was shivering lightly as he searched, and frowned as he caught the other sniffling.

"Okay that's it." He shook his head and opened his door. "Kuroko, come inside."

"Huh?" Kuroko looked up in surprise. "Ah, no it's okay, I live right here after all."

"You're seriously cold, just dry yourself off and you can look for your key afterwards." He opened the door wider. "Come on, unless you wanna get sick."

With another short sniffle, Kuroko barely hesitated.

"Thank you, I'll be quick."

Kuroko hurried inside and Kagami closed the door after him. He barely got to see the other head inside his bathroom before hearing the door lock on the other side. Kagami sighed, and went to put his trash back before washing his hands from carrying it. Then he heard a buzzing from his couch and realised Kuroko had dropped his bag right next to it.

Curious, Kagami wandered over and checked the bag to find his phone lit up from a missed call. A second later he got a text, which Kagami checked without a second thought.

'You left your wallet here, idiot.'

Kagami frowned. Whoever sent this text was obviously an ass. Even though he knew the insult was probably joking, for some reason it set alarms off in Kagami's head.

"Is it polite in America to spy on people's phones?"

A shock ran up Kagami's spine and he had to struggle not to drop the phone. Once he got himself together he glared at Kuroko to growl at him but soon found himself admiring what he saw.

Kuroko had taken his soaked shirt off and now a red towel drooped over his shoulders onto his chest. The bright light from the bathroom illuminated his pale skin and outlined his thin but fit figure as though the moon were shining on his back. Streaks of his hair stuck to his cheeks without disturbing his soft yet stern expression, while drier parts of his hair stuck out in a light mess. His trousers were still soaked through and parts of it stuck to his skin, carving out his thighs for Kagami's glancing pleasure. As long as it took for him to notice, he was probably looking like a creep considering Kuroko's nervously shifting gaze and uncomfortable expression.

"S-Sorry! I didn't mean to look – at your phone I mean. Uh, you should look at this…"

Kuroko took the phone from him and checked it, frowning for a minute before letting out an uncharacteristic groan of exhasperation.

"Damn it. My key is still at his place." He wandered over to the couch, suddenly looking exhausted. He slumped onto it and tossed his phone onto his bag. "At least that explains why I couldn't find it…"

"You keep your key in your wallet?"

"It's the safest place, usually."

Kuroko sighed again and drew the towel from his neck, thanking Kagami again for letting him borrow it as he continued to dry his hair and face. Kagami was barely listening though, instead his focus was drawn to where the towel once was.

His back and shoulders looked pale and soft. Kagami caught his sudden urge to bite it before his thoughts could go anywhere.

He cleared his throat.

"Well since you can't go back in your room, do you want to borrow some clothes? Your legs must still be cold."

Kuroko glanced up, then looked down and flinched.

"Ah- I'm sorry!" He stood up immediately and got away from the couch. "It slipped my mind, now I got your couch wet too…"

"It's fine, it's fine." Kagami waved it off. "I'm more worried you'll catch a cold. Come on, I'll give you something that could even fit you."

"Thank you…" Kuroko sighed, though tried not to smile as he followed him to his bedroom.

As they made their way into his bedroom, Kuroko took a moment to really appreciate Kagami's apartment. It was more spacious than his own, especially with less stuff. Weights, a lot of kitchen appliances – ooh the same basketball magazine.

"Will your dog be okay while you're gone?"

"Yes, Nigou was fast asleep when I left and there are a few toys he likes to play with by himself if he wakes up."

"That works. I can give you the couch if you don't mind, though I don't mind sharing the bed either. You look like a steady sleeper."

"I don't move much it's true, but I don't want to bother you too much. I'll just sleep on the couch."

"Your choice." Kagami shrugged as he went through his closet. "Do you have far to travel back tomorrow to get your key?"

"Not far, but…" Kuroko paused and leaned against the wall. "I, don't really want to. I will, don't get me wrong, but I just thought I wouldn't have to go back there for a while…"

"Why? Bad neighbourhood?"

"Having your ex in there makes it count as bad enough I think."

"Ohh…" That's right, still sore. "Must be annoying, I guess you guys were close."

"We were, at some point. We grew up together, in a way, but I underestimated how much he had changed since we were kids. I'm not too attached, just awkward now that I don't admire him the way that I used to."

"Welp, if it helps," Kagami thrust a huge shirt to him with a big grin, "you can borrow this for tomorrow and make him jealous. Total boyfriend shirt if you ask me."

Kuroko was a bit taken aback by the bold statement, but soon found himself laughing. He took the shirt and pressed it to his chest.

"It definitely is. Kagami-kun, your chest is huge."

"If you think that's huge, you should see my-" Before Kagami could finish he found his own shirt thrown back in his face with a stifled laugh from the shorter man.

"You really are American if you think you can flirt already, what happened to me being a stick in the mud?"

"I was gonna say my shoes, but who knows where you would've taken that." Kagami chuckled and folded up his shirt in his arms. "Besides, you aren't so bad when you're forced to stay at my house."

Kuroko shook his head and smirked at his strange humour, but found himself having to hold back from laughing like a dork. If he had to admit, Kagami wasn't a bad guy. His personality was selfish and annoying, but not too much more than himself, and he was certainly refreshing to be around. Though Kuroko was avoiding thinking about it, Kuroko couldn't look the other in the eye until Kagami cleared his throat.

"Anyway, if you can sleep without a shirt since mine would go down to your knees, take these." Kagami tossed his neighbour some pajama bottoms and put away his shirt. "I won't look, so go ahead. They're clean and I'll just wash them tomorrow so don't worry."

Kuroko looked at them and shrugged. Without further adue he backed off and began to strip. He'd just taken one step out of his boxers when he heard something else drop to the floor. He looked up to see Kagami shirtless and about to strip even more.

Heat shot across Kuroko's face as he brought his wet clothes back on him in a panic.

"W-What are you doing?" He stuttered.

Kagami looked at him curiously.

"I thought I would get changed too. It's late after all, I'd only stay up another hour or so."

"But, my clothes aren't wearable, you don't have to go shirtless at least…"

"Huh? It's fine, I'm not gonna hang out with you in my boxers."

"No, just-" Kuroko looked away. It was Kagami's house, he should do what he wanted to. "N-Never mind, I just got the wrong idea."

He felt so flustered, even after everything that had happened he suddenly felt like he was standing in the room with someone new. Someone that wasn't the obnoxious self-centered guy he came to know over the past week. This new guy, this Kagami made him a little nervous.

"You alright?"

Looking up, he saw Kagami staring with a raised brow.

Kuroko tried to act natural, but came off as melancholic.

"Yeah, I'm just… kind of confused. A lot has been changing for me recently, I think I'm just a little lost…"

Kagami's eyes widened. He remembered this from when he tried to get his dog out of the flat, that honest look that he couldn't refuse. Kuroko was seriously something else.

Without any conscious thought his feet began to move, and soon Kagami found himself standing right in front of the shorter man.

Kuroko looked up at him, eyes wide, taking in every masculine feature. He didn't notice the spare clothes drop from his arm, and didn't notice his breath slowing in his throat. All he saw was the inches from them disappearing, felt the warmth of Kagami's hand on his cheek and the hot breath that slowly captured his lips.

In a passing moment they were close, and taken in each other's touch. Kuroko's hands found their way onto Kagami's broad back, the taller's left hand on his cheek and right glided underneath the wet cloth to warm his lower back. Their lips enveloped each other in a heated kiss that cast away any thought or doubt.

Time meant nothing for however many moments, and by the time they caught up with reality, both of them were taken with the idea of furthering their embrace.

Kuroko's eyes were slightly glazed over compared to his usual dull, determined stare, while Kagami's stare was as intense and fiery as ever. They couldn't keep their gaze of each other.

"So…" Kagami's tone was much more tepid than before. "Want to sleep in my bed after all?"

Kuroko gulped at the offer. He only took a second to think about it.

"If you'll allow me, Kagami-kun."

* * *

Damn somehow this feels like it should lead into smut :I It had a good vibe for it by the end, but it was way too long already *tired sweats*… I'm unsure if I should ever try to make a smut, I've always been curious if I could but meh.

Anyways on another topic, hope you enjoyed this chapter, I tried to pump as much sexual tension into it as I could!

Next chapter coming tomorrow to continue the non-week-kagakuroweek-week!


	6. Day 6

Day 6, my last chance to do random shiz :3 Here's another piece weirdness:

 **Alien**

* * *

Kagami didn't necessarily like being alone. He didn't mind it, but it wasn't the reason why he had moved all the way out here.

A little wooden house out in the wilderness where nobody else could find him, it was given to him by a rather wealthy friend. It was meant to be a summer home, but when money became tight and jobs became hard to find, it wasn't much of a choice for him to move all the way out there. Still, it came with its advantages. Running through the wilderness felt so right to him it was almost natural, and having a little garden of fruits and veg meant free food for him and a bit of cash in tough times.

It also meant he got to see some interesting stuff.

Like that night, when he was wandering on a beaten path towards something he didn't know. He had been having the strangest dream, it was blank and he could see something reaching out to him, a voice calling for him. Then a flash woke him up and right outside his window was smoke – but no fire. He had seen a bright light shining upwards and before he knew it he was off to investigate.

But as strong as he was, wandering through the woods with nothing but a flashlight was still close to the creepiest thing he'd ever done. He turned through the trees, following the light, watching his back, until finally Kagami made it to the source.

Amongst a mass of broken trees filling up what was now giant burnt crevice in the ground, a large metal pod-like thing lay in tatters. It had several light-house like windows that shone the blinding light and Kagami had to shield his eyes to see the carnage. The sound of wires crackling, metal bending and burnt branches snapping under its weight filled his ears. He turned off his flashlight and stepped carefully around the crevice until he came to something interesting.

On one side a large hole opened up to be what looked like a door. Just as he was moving to take a closer look, something grabbed Kagami's shoulder.

"GAGH!"

He flinched away so violently that he tripped over a small tree, barely grasping a sight of a blue form reaching out to him before his head hit something hard and his consciousness faded away.

….

The mass tweeting of birds really did never fail to greet Kagami in the morning. This time was no different – to his surprise – as Kagami woke up on his couch with a blanket over him.

But hadn't he fallen asleep in his bed? On that note, hadn't he been up and walking just a moment ago?

A sudden shiver ran through Kagami's body as he remembered the image of that thing beside him and he had a sudden urge to grab his shoulder. It looked fine, but he felt soar, like he had been sleeping on the ground.

"Urgh…" Kagami groaned as he brought himself up to sit normally and lean back on his couch. His head was aching the worst of all, he felt like someone had hit the back of it with a baseball bat. If last night was real, did he hit his head when he fell over? Who took him back to his house?

"Are you okay?"

"GAGH!" Well that answered his question.

Before him stood a short male with light blue hair and eyes, standing with a glass of water and a carrot from his garden. The stranger blinked at him, not really emoting much else.

"I don't quite understand. Are you stuck? As far as I know it's not normal to only answer with a repeated phrase such as gagh."

Kagami blinked back his suspicion and surprise and cleared his throat.

"S-Sorry," He said gruffly, "just surprised, I guess. Um, how did you get into my house?"

"Through the door." The stranger answered, still with a blank expression.

"Right, yeah, that makes sense…" Did he leave it unlocked? He couldn't remember. "Um, so, why are you here?"

"I researched what to do in the situation, my device said that you needed rest and nourishment afterwards. I did not expect you to rest for so long, so I hope you don't mind that I did some reconnaissance while you were unconscious."

"Reconnaissance…" Kagami could only think that meant looking around. Kind of weird, digging into his privacy, but it's not like he had anything to hide. "I guess that's fine… wait, what situation?"

"You had fallen unconscious. Please drink." He offered the glass of water which Kagami hesitantly took. "When you came across my vehicle I wanted to say hello, but I seemed to have scared you into some sort of coma state. As my apology I wanted to take you somewhere safe and comfortable and found here, is this your cabin?"

"Yeah, it is. Thank you." Kagami gulped the water down and put the glass on the floor, getting the blanket off his lap. "What were you doing there anyway? I didn't think anyone else lived this far out."

"It crashed, I was trying to see the damage when I saw you coming."

"Yeah okay that's how you got here, but why were you…" Kagami stopped in his tracks. "Wait, that was _your_ vehicle?" He shouted, to the stranger's surprise.

"Yes? I suppose it would be surprising, but your kind really gets surprised a lot…"

"Our k-" He paused to think about what he could possibly say. "Just, what exactly are you?"

"You can call me Kuroko, or Tetsuya if you want to be friends."

Kuroko gave a small welcoming smile as he offered the carrot, which Kagami quickly pushed away.

"No I'm asking-" He couldn't believe he was really going to say this, and it showed in his voice. "Are you human?"

"Oh, was it that obvious?" Kuroko looked surprised, then thoughtful. "I suppose considering that time, anyway no I'm not. To you, I would be considered an alien."

Kagami stared at the blue-eyed man, who stared back with just as much blankness as before. Would he believe it? Hmm… nah.

"Right. Yeah. Sure. Get out of my house."

Kagami laid back down and rolled over.

"Please wait!" Kuroko suddenly jolted to life. "I'm sorry about what happened, but I'm telling the truth. I'm all alone in this new world. I'm not sure where I am or what I should do, or if I'll be able to…" He paused slightly, long enough for Kagami to turn back just a touch. He could see a glimmer of something human like in Kuroko, a sad, lonely expression. "In any case, I would like it if we could become friends…"

Kuroko stood there, looking away, looking guilty. Despite what he said Kagami could still read him, even if it was like his expressions were suppressed. Still, he didn't think last night was a fake, and the blue figure he saw didn't look human.

If he helped him, what would happen? If he had wanted to rob him then he would've left him back at the carnage. He could've done anything, but he brought him back to his house…

Kagami moved swiftly to a stand, surprising the other into stepping back a bit.

"Alright." He sighed. "You're an alien?"

"I am." Kuroko nodded.

"So what, you came to earth to start an invasion? A vacation? What?"

"None of that, I was merely meant to pass by earth to take a reading of its atmosphere. On my way out I ran into a small rock that dodged my scanners which slowed me down enough to start being pulled in by your gravity, and had to make an emergency landing."

"So how can you fix your ship?"

"I can't." Kuroko sighed as he broke the carrot in half, looking at its contents. "I took a good look at it and a key element is broken, to my knowledge there is no material in this world that I can use as substitute."

"So… what are you going to do?"

"Well, I was hoping I could stay here." Kuroko looked up at him like he was asking something simple. "It is away from prying eyes and there is substance here I can use as nourishment."

"Oi, just what makes you think I'll let you mooch off of me while you do god knows what?"

"Well you were curious enough to come to the crash site, aren't more curious about me?"

"That was, I mean, I guess I felt like I had to…"

"Probably because of the emergency beacon, it calls the closest capable organism to see the crash."

"Huh? I didn't hear any beacon."

"You wouldn't have heard it, it would have reached directly to your mind."

Kuroko poked Kagami's head, only to swiftly get his hand swatted away.

"Yeah right. Although, I guess I had that weird dream…" He grumbled the last bit.

"Do you not have telepathic communication yet?"

"Telepathic, what?"

Kagami gave a weird look and Kuroko seemed to take that as a sign to take out a remote-type thing from his pocket. It had a stretched end that shone with a screen that Kuroko tapped into.

"Has not reached telepathic era of machinary…"

Kagami rolled his eyes, knowing he was going to be playing the asking game all day.

"Okay, what is that?"

"What?" Kuroko looked up.

"That thing." Kagami pointed at the remote.

"This thing?" Kuroko lifted it up.

"Yes, that thing." Kagami nodded.

"It's my device." Kuroko nodded.

Kagami clasped his head with his hands and took a deep breath. He was standing in front of the most unhelpful alien imaginable.

"What, kind, of, device."

"Personal. It's like, uh, your type of modern phone, except more helpful."

"Okay, so why are you talking to it in a human language anyway? Do you guys speak it wherever you come from?"

"Not at all, it's gibberish. I'm using a vocal and earpiece translator, and this device can analyse who is using it and translate anything they need for them. For example if you access authorised areas you will see it written in a way you understand, but if we both read at the same time it will probably stay as a writing that is foreign to you."

As much as he hated to be impressed when he was pissed off, which was usually the case thanks to his hot-headedness, all Kagami could get from talking to this guy was that his world sounded like everything his forest-based life was not. It got him curious.

"Aren't you afraid to reveal all these things to me? What if I give you up to the government or do experiments on you? I live in the forest, I might be a mad scientist."

"I believe that the consequences to any such action will be much greater than any reward, Kagami Taiga."

Well that creeped him right out.

"I… didn't introduce myself yet."

"You didn't have to." Kuroko smiled. "Names are extremely solid types of thoughts."

As if teasing him, Kuroko waved the remote at him and began to walk off, leaving a suddenly very worried Kagami barely able to react.

"O-Oi, where are you going?"

"I'm getting a few things." Kuroko turned back, a smile still gracing his lips. "To make myself feel more at home."

….

And due to those circumstances, Kagami gained a rather unusual housemate.

In the time that Kuroko was gone, Kagami spent half of it collecting his thoughts and getting over the whole thing, and the other half putting private things where Kuroko couldn't do 'reconnaissance' on them. Though, as he hated to think, Kuroko could have done absolutely anything in the time that he was asleep.

When Kuroko came back, he came with a metal box full of things Kagami could either guess was useful or couldn't even comprehend what they were for. Kuroko put most of his knick knacks here and there, the things that looked nice in obvious places and other, more suspicious things in not-so-obvious places.

Kagami reminded himself to question him about those.

The only thing he was sure he recognised was a simple white pillow, which Kuroko just randomly put next to himself when he gathered one of each edible thing from the garden and laid them out on the table. Kagami watched in wonder as Kuroko casually picked a bit out of all of them, tasted them, and wrote down notes.

The red-head stayed silent, ever watching the strange person. Kuroko really was… seriously weird.

"Okay-" He finally stopped Kuroko as the 'alien' was about to throw out all of the fruit and veg that he had just taken a bite out of. "Just, sit in there for a minute." He gestured to the front room, still blocking Kuroko from throwing away his hard-grown products.

Kuroko blinked at him, but obliged. He put the products back on the table and took his pillow, sitting politely on the couch while holding it slightly against his chest. Kagami stood in front of him, visibly trying to get his thoughts together.

"Right, so you're an alien."

"I thought we had established this, but yes I am."

"And you wanna stay here."

"I would definitely like to."

"Well I'm not just gonna let you do whatever the heck you want." Kagami folded his arms, finally looking stern. "First off, you're going to answer all of my questions."

"Sounds reasonable."

"Right. Well… okay, what's up with your hair?"

Kuroko seemed slightly surprised as he wafted a hand through his light blue hair.

"Is there something wrong with it?"

"Obviously! It's way too light! You think you can have that weird colour hair and everyone's gonna act like it's normal? People don't dye their hair your colour, and why does it match your eyes so well?"

"If you ask me, your hair matches your eyes pretty well."

"But not exactly, you look like something out of a cartoon."

Kuroko huffed slightly, glancing down on himself as if to double-check how he looked.

"I cant really help it, keeping this form permanently would be incredibly difficult if I had to change all my colours."

"Keeping that… form?" Kagami frowned, the image of the form he met on that night making him feel a nervous sweat.

"That's right. The form of a human and our species are not especially different, but there are certain things I'm sure you would find strange. Normally my skin is not the colour a human would consider normal, so I must assume this form until I leave the planet."

"Well… I mean I wouldn't judge how you look. I bet you look pretty cool."

"Kagami, I am not showing you my form."

"Tch. Fine then, but in return you've got to avoid bringing humans back here. As well as them finding out about you and doing god knows what, I don't want any strangers in my house!"

"I don't really have any interest in dealing with any other human anyway, but I agree."

"Alright. While we're at it, don't do anything weird without my permission. I'll show you what we do with food, clothes, the lot. Actually, where did you get those clothes?"

Kuroko looked like he was wearing something any ordinary city folk would wear, why hadn't Kagami questioned this until now?

"I scanned some of your clothes and redesigned them with a covering material I had in my vehicle. It can be washed with water and many types of chemicals, so I wouldn't worry about it getting dirty."

"You just 'scanned' them…" Kagami sighed once again. "That's another one. My stuff is my stuff, don't go looking around unless I'm with you. Actually, for a while, just don't do _anything_ unless I'm with you."

"That would be difficult, but I suppose it's your rules."

Kuroko just seemed fine with everything. He just kept staring at Kagami with those big blue eyes, and that blank, odd stare. Kagami felt awkward in his line of sight, since every shift and movement was followed by Kuroko perfectly. What was he supposed to think about him?

"Anyway, what are you going to be doing while you're stuck here?"

Kuroko finally seemed to shift from being a laser pointer to a normal person, because his gaze dropped along with his expression.

"I'm not entirely sure. I should spend this time researching this planet. My kind is incredibly susceptible to new experiences and information, not too much unlike yours. Of course, I will probably spend my time helping you in any way I can."

"Helping me, huh…?"

"That's right. Tell me if there is any way that I can help you."

Kagami frowned. Help him? It's true that he had to spend a load of time travelling to his job everyday, if the chores needed doing he didn't ever have time to spend with whatever he wanted.

And now he was imagining Kuroko in a maid outfit. To be fair, an alien probably didn't know anything behind that, he could definitely put Kuroko in any outfit he wanted.

"No!" Kagami suddenly slapped his head with a gruff look, seemingly scaring Kuroko.

"Uh- okay, well I really don't mind, I would like to help you if I am staying here."

"No I- I mean yeah, sure. W-We'll figure something out…"

No matter what, Kagami shouldn't let himself fall to the dark side of this situation.

"Um, can I ask something?" Kuroko looked away from Kagami's curious gaze, hugging his pillow slightly closer. "I have had a very busy time, and haven't had a rest since before the crash. I would like to sleep, if I can…"

"Oh, yeah sure." Kagami pointed at the couch. "You can just sleep there. That's where you'll be sleeping anyway."

Kuroko looked curiously at what he was sitting on. He casually put the pillow down and laid there, flat on his back, staring up unblinking at the ceiling. Even that was somehow creepy to Kagami. Soon, Kuroko got back up and took his pillow again.

"I would like to sleep somewhere else, if I can."

"Are you spoilt or something?!"

Kagami raged, gaining a light frown from the other.

"Kagami, sleep is very important. There are standards of comfort that must be met when it comes to basic luxuries."

"But you're a freeloader…"

"Kagami, do you not sleep in a comfier place?"

"Obviously, I have my own bed."

"Then I will sleep there."

"Like hell you will!"

"It's alright." Kuroko stood up, giving him a determined look. "I am a very still sleeper."

"That's not the point."

"I don't take up a lot of space either."

"You're not having my bed."

"I don't intend to, we shall sleep there together."

"No." Kagami pinched the bridge of his nose, almost shivering with the amount of exhaustion and anger that was bringing in his gut. "Just, just no."

"I see…" Kuroko closed his eyes, giving Kagami the slightest relief that he might have gotten through to him. "If you truly cannot fall asleep with me in your bed, then I shall have enter after you fall asleep."

"Get out."

….

Four months had passed since that fateful day Kuroko had crashed. After his sudden appearance, Kagami's every day routine had changed to fit in another person into his life.

Every day he would leave to his job, Kuroko would stay at home to study the forest and take care of the garden farm – which had now grown to be full-on greenhouse size. When Kagami came back in the evening he would bring a new book with him for Kuroko to learn more and more about this new world, and Kuroko would have made something new out of the cookbooks he found in Kagami's home. He seemed to favour boiled eggs, and Kagami was convinced it was only because they were easy. Then in the evening they would sit and talk about anything and everything until it was time for them to sleep.

Today was not much different, except that the red-head had no work and so it was a good day to be sleeping in. Kagami had completely gotten used to sleeping in bed with another person, and sometimes even found it more comfortable – especially with the weather getting colder. Speaking of which, he found the strange sensation of Kuroko tucked at his side to be oddly comforting. The other was curled up beside him below the blanket, his head pressed into his shoulder and hands lightly holding his arm. He wasn't even sure if Kuroko was still asleep, but Kagami didn't make any movements. He found that Kuroko wasn't one to hide anything – even how awake he was by trying to close his eyes after he had woken up, but today Kuroko was hidden under the blanket.

Why was this worth noting? Because everyday had been the same recently. Get up at the same time, go to bed at the same time, even on holidays Kuroko would lie there and stare at Kagami until he felt uncomfortable enough in bed to get out. Kuroko also always laid on his back, still as a rock just like he had promised. But this morning Kuroko stayed close to Kagami, warming him up, lightly wrapping himself around. Kagami wasn't even sure how to feel about it, but he didn't feel bad. If he could have helped it, he would have wanted to get closer and stay like that for the whole day.

Just as Kagami was starting to wander if there was actually something wrong with Kuroko, he felt a movement under the sheets.

Kuroko's hand drifted up Kagami's arm, he buried his head deeper into Kagami's shoulder, and Kagami felt his heart start to beat faster. But all at once, it was over. Kuroko released Kagami from himself and started to shuffle out of bed.

Kagami closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep. He heard footsteps on the wooden floor and felt the weight lift off the bed. Then silence. Then Kuroko made his way out of the room. Kagami opened his eyes slowly, seeing the door still wide open.

After taking his time getting ready, the red-head made his way downstairs and followed the sizzling noise to the kitchen. There he saw Kuroko, in an apron like he taught him, busying himself with a cook book and a full breakfast platter on the grill.

"What's the occasion." Kagami found himself laughing as he entered the room.

Kuroko looked round, closing the book and getting back to his dishes.

"There is no occasion. The occasion is breakfast."

"Sounds like a good occasion to me." Kagami smiled as he stretched with a yawn.

He caught Kuroko smiling back at him.

Kuroko had been more expressive lately, like he was getting used to talking to people all over again. He'd been smiling a lot too.

Kagami helped Kuroko out in the kitchen, then they sat together and ate their creation in happy unison. Kuroko, like always, had nowhere near the amount to eat as the red-head. Kuroko said that his species simply didn't need much to survive, but Kagami just thought that Kuroko didn't eat enough. On the other hand, Kuroko was convinced that Kagami ate way too much for a human.

After that it was relaxing time, and Kuroko sat in his usual place on the couch with a book in his hand and a blanket around him. Kagami sat beside him, playing around with his phone. He glanced at Kuroko a few times, watching him do the same thing a shy human guy would do. Sometimes he would forget that Kuroko was an alien and just thought of him as a strange little man, but he had never actually seen Kuroko's full alien form or anything relatively close to it.

"Kagami-kun, I have a question."

Kagami was almost caught off guard as Kuroko looked at him, but he kept his cool.

"Yeah? Shoot."

Kuroko put the book down, then reached up and touched the red-head's lips.

"I researched human biology as part of my training of an Earth scouter, and found that there is a certain emotion that can be manipulated by words and touching from this part. I would like to try it with you."

"Urm… okay, I guess…" Kagami kept his cool, it was hard but he kept his cool.

"Good. Then please, stay still."

Kagami felt his lips shut tight on their own. His whole body became tense, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep his cool.

Kuroko shifted, placing one hand close to Kagami's hip as he moved the hand on his lip to his cheek. Watching his target, Kuroko closed in, and gently placed his lips onto Kagami's.

It was a long, awkward, but strangely comforting situation.

Finally, Kuroko moved away, completely back to his original position like nothing had ever happened. He stared into nothing, clearly in deep thought.

"Hm. That wasn't quite what I expected."

"Well, what did you expect?" Kagami frowned.

"I thought that my hearts would race, and that I would feel blood flowing through my, erm, what you would understand as 'veins'."

Where did this guy get this information from? Fanfictions about earth?

"There's a lot more factors to that!" Kagami said awkwardly as he shifted himself to face Kuroko. "It can change depending on the situation, how you feel about someone and everything else. Plus you barely did anything."

"I did? I thought I did it right."

"Well, kind of, you just…" Kagami grit his teeth, looking in every direction. What was he supposed to tell the guy? "Le, Let me show you…"

Without making him think too much about it, Kagami clasped both of Kuroko's cheeks in his hands and brought the alien closer. He moved in, lips slightly apart, and pressed his mouth firmly on the other's lips. He stayed for a second to let the position melt, then moved his hands to the back of Kuroko's neck, where he pulled him gently forwards. He let their lips meld and felt Kuroko's warmth, feeling himself relax into it.

Kuroko on the other hand quickly grabbed onto Kagami's shirt, but didn't seem to want to end it.

Kagami parted his lips once more, gently brushing his teeth against Kuroko's lips. With something akin to a shiver, Kuroko's lips parted, and Kagami deepened the kiss. Ideas raced through his mind, all the things he could show Kuroko right now – but decided against it.

Instead, Kagami released Kuroko's lips, but let his hands linger as he slowly moved away with a hot breath. On the surface, Kuroko seemed as he usually did. Unlike a human his expression was still cool and collected, and there was no redness to be found in his cheeks.

But he was different, for sure he was different.

"Ah… somehow I see what you mean now." Kuroko gulped, moving himself back slightly and covering his lips. He couldn't look Kagami in the eye. "I… think I like it."

Kagami felt a sly smile creep across his lips.

"Then, do you want to try again?"

Kuroko jumped, suddenly embarrassed. He gulped down his nervousness and met Kagami's eyes with a glance.

"I… Yes…"

With quite some effort, the alien shifted himself into a comfortable, not-awkward position and stared at Kagami's lips as he leaned forwards. Kagami closed his eyes and waited for the touch.

"Ah-"

Before it could come, he heard a sound from the other. Kagami opened his eyes to see Kuroko hiding his face, the places uncovered by hands showing curves of blue crossing his cheeks.

"F-From the embarrassment, my form has…" Kuroko stuttered nervously. Suddenly he stood up, facing away, the blanket flying from him. "S-Sorry, I'll be back in a moment!"

Before Kagami could even react, Kuroko bolted from the seat and ran to their bedroom. The red-head was sure he could see more and more bright blue, and the image of the form he had seen on that fateful night came back to him.

He hadn't thought about that in ages, it had always been such a blur to him. But now… well, suddenly the image seemed much less intimidating and more intriguing.

As if just to interrupt his thoughts, Kagami heard a buzzing from somewhere close by. He looked at the table and saw Kuroko's weird device.

He'd taken a look at it once or twice, but never seriously used the thing. Kuroko had taught him how to contact him if he ever went missing through the device, so when Kagami tapped on it and saw that Kuroko had a new message he knew how to operate it to find out exactly what was going on.

Obviously his curiosity got the better of him.

Kagami looked from side to side, making sure he wouldn't get caught, before pressing on the screen.

Several messages came on screen.

Kagami scrolled to the top.

'Akashi Seijuro: Are you alright? Are you uninjured?'

'Kuroko Tetsuya: Yes I am, the thrusters made the landing much easier than it could've been. I'm not hurt at all, but the ship is badly damaged.'

'Akashi Seijuro: How badly?'

'Kuroko Tetsuya: Doing a check now, will report within the hour.'

Kagami skipped through a bunch of complicated messages, skimming through information about some technical things he didn't understand. He saw that Kuroko told them he couldn't get it fixed but that he was in a safe place with food and such, and that whoever he was messaging would send someone to retrieve him and his ship. He also saw that the whole thing would take three months.

What had held them up another month?

Kagami scrolled down further.

'Kuroko Tetsuya: Captain, I wish to ask that the retrieval crew take only the ship.'

'Akashi Seijuro: Why? We're all worried about you here.'

'Kuroko Tetsuya: I know, and I'm sorry. I've found a human I would like to take more time to research; he is intriguing in ways I couldn't have fathomed. Rest assured he is safe, and that I have yet to find reason to believe I am being manipulated by machinery or extraordinary powers.'

'Akashi Seijuro: There is another task in your area that will take the retrieval team around one solar month to complete. Be sure in that time,if you change your mind then it will be finalised.'

Kagami felt a little self conscious, wondering exactly what was it about him that Kuroko wanted to 'research' so badly. Then he saw the last few messages from that day and the day before.

'Kuroko Tetsuya: I have made up my mind. I wish to stay here indefinitely.'

'Akashi Seijuro: Are you sure?'

'Kuroko Tetsuya: I am. This human has, how can I say it, somehow they've taken my full interest. I want to spend as much time with them as I can. I want to know more about them. My apologies for asking but, please, I want to be assigned to earth as a field researcher.'

'Akashi Seijuro: You seem fixed on this. All right, you have my permission to stay on Earth indefinitely. I'll handle the paperwork. Keep in touch.'

A strange feeling ran though Kagami's chest. A weird mixture of relief, excitement, intrigue, guilt, and anything and everything in between.

Between it all, he found himself grinning.

Being given this chance, he's not going to pass up on some 'research' either.

"Kuroko!" Kagami called out as he got up. "I'm coming to see!"

"Hey- don't!" He called back. "My face still looks weird!"

"Tough luck, I'm gonna see what you really look like whether you like it or not!"

Kagami dropped the device on the blanket and hurried out the room, to greet his alien.

* * *

Yaaaay it's done! Only one left to go, and I swear for that time I will actually make something romantic -w- But who doesn't like a good alien romance? Just a weird, _weird_ alien bugging a guy kinda down on his luck. So frekin romantic.

See you for the last chapter, and remember how much I would love your feedback! Feed feedback to me pls!

kay boi


	7. Day 7

And so it ends, welcome to the final story:

 **I'll love you tomorrow too**

* * *

Sunlight spilled through the open curtains. A light-skinned figure lay in the bed, barely covered by the thin blanket brought out for the warming weather. The disturbing light pierced his eyelids, and he slowly awakened.

Kuroko lay still, letting the world slowly enter his vision. He felt the cold on his skin, and gently moved his hand up his arm to try and warm it up. When he was awake enough to function, he wrapped himself up in the blanket and hid away from the light.

He'd been having some weird dreams last night. Lasers, jealousy, magic and aliens, it was a cacophony of odd romance and mixed memory. But, he didn't mind at all. In fact he was happy. He even found himself smiling, almost grinning, feeling the light feeling rise in his chest. It was because in all of those dreams, he'd felt the love of his significant other – Kagami Taiga.

….

The pitter-pattering of dog feet filled the quiet kitchen as Nigou stepped in with a big yawn.

Kuroko set out the bowl for him, and the big dog welcomed the 'good morning' pets with sleepy enthusiasm. Kuroko left Nigou to eat while he made himself breakfast. Come to think of it, Nigou had gotten quite a bit bigger since back then, it was good that they could take him in instead of leaving Nigou with his parents like he did when he was in university.

On that train of thought, it had been, what, two years since he and Kagami had gotten a place together? Though it still seemed so recently, and yet he was so comfortable with it already.

Kuroko let his mind wonder off as he made a simple breakfast. It was a day off for him, but Kagami was out at work today. Before he'd left…

"Get ready to go out when I get back, we're going somewhere nice."

Kagami had said that to him with a grin. Thinking about something like that, Kuroko felt like his heart could beat faster. It wasn't any special occasion he thought, but Kagami proved himself an exciting boyfriend more than one would think. The only thing that annoyed him was that he didn't know if he should make food for the trip or not – if Kagami ended up being hungry it would be his own fault.

Kuroko ate breakfast while continuing to watch the movie they had fallen asleep watching last night, an American comedy Kagami had suggested. Not only could Kuroko not completely follow it without subtitles, he didn't really get it either. Didn't mean to say he didn't enjoy it, though. When he was finished eating, he heard Nigou playing with a toy behind the couch and looked at the time.

"Nigou~" He turned around and rested his arms on the couching, smiling when he saw the dog staring up at him like he was caught red-handed. "Do you want to go for a morning walk?"

Nigou immediately got it, and bounded up with a big dog grin. Kuroko chuckled lightly and went to get the dog lead.

"Yes yes, good boy. Wait for me a moment, okay?"

….

With Spring coming, the cherry trees were slowly starting to blossom. It made the walk down to the park extremely relaxing, although Kuroko had to wear a jacket to stay warm.

It wasn't a busy day, but people could be seen having fun and playing about. A gardener watering flowers, children running down the empty road, old friends chatting on a bench. Kuroko felt revitalised.

When he could finally let Nigou off the leash, the dog ran off to explore the immediate area of the park. Kuroko found a place to sit on a log, watching Nigou closely as he attempted to pick up a stick far too big for him. The space beside him felt empty.

A memory crossed his mind – the first time they had come here. It was so similar to today, Nigou was the same as ever. He had taken a sandwich out and fed it to the red-head, and wiped a crumb from his lip. Thinking about it, it made Kuroko smile.

He wondered if Kagami was thinking about him too. It had been strange lately, Kagami seemed distracted, but he'd also been closer to Kuroko. They had spent so much time together for the last week that the space beside Kuroko was missing that shape.

A light bark from Nigou caught his attention. The dog had brought back a stick more realistic to his side. Kuroko took it with a smile, and tossed it.

Play time made everything go faster, and Kuroko waited patiently for the time when Kagami would come home.

….

By the time Kuroko had made it back it was much later than he expected, and so he'd made a meal expecting Kagami to come home soon. When it came to his boyfriend, Kuroko had learned that taste was a factor but amount was a necessity, so he didn't mind cooking a lot at once and reheating it later.

But even though he cooked, ate, and waited some more, Kagami had yet to come home.

Kuroko lay down, flipping through a new book, pretending he was paying attention to the words.

He wondered what was taking Kagami so long. He wondered if Kagami knew that he had given him an expectation, that he would come home on time and they would leave then and there. He wondered if Kagami felt bad about that.

Thinking back to it, Kagami usually had really good reasons to be late meeting up with him. Like that time they were going on a date, and Kagami had helped an old lady off the train and gotten himself stuck at the station. Or when he was really late coming back from walking Nigou because they had met another dog who wanted to play for a long time.

Thinking about it, Kuroko's heart ached. Kagami was so kind, and so stupid. Why didn't he come home already?

Just as he thought that, the latch on the door unlocked and somebody stepped inside. Kuroko jumped, closing his book quickly and tossing it on the table. He sat up and looked over, seeing the tired Kagami taking off his shoes.

"Where were you?" Kuroko sighed, standing up. "I thought you would be on time after what you told me."

"Sorry…" Kagami moaned, "I thought I was on time, I got caught up."

The red-head took off his bag and rubbed his eyes. Then, with a stretch, he walked towards Kuroko, only to envelope him completely with his long arms. Kuroko huffed lightly, but held him back, feeling the warmth around him as Kagami pressed his lips into his shoulder.

"I've been distracted all day thanks to what you said. Now you have extra responsibility to take care of."

"Hmph, can't say I feel too bad." Kagami smiled. He loosened his grip on Kuroko and stepped back just a bit, grinning down to him. "Don't worry, either this is gonna make it up to you or you're allowed to beat me up later."

"If you mix those two together, it would be perfect."

"Heheh, did I really make you that upset?"

"Of course not." Kuroko sighed, letting Kagami go to walk towards the kitchen. "I'm just sure that it's what you deserve."

"Whatever you say." Kagami shoved his hands into his pockets and followed after.

On the way, Nigou stepped out of a room to boop Kagami's leg with his nose. Kagami stopped in place, looking down, and then bent down to sit on his heels to pet the dog.

"Heya buddy, you look sleepy." Kagami laughed as Nigou licked his hand.

Kuroko watched them fondly.

"It really is a miracle, you used to hate Nigou when we first found him."

"Well, it's not like I'm totally over my fear, but if I'm living with him then I've got to get used to him at some point."

"It would be rather worrying if you didn't. Anyway, there's a lot of food in the fridge, you don't mind it do you?"

"Actually, I'll leave that for tomorrow." Kagaami stood back up. He smirked at Kuroko with a strong stare. "I'm feeling like Maji burger's tonight."

….

Where they lived wasn't exactly conveniently close to where they used to live, so whenever it was time for Maji burger it was time to head to one about 10 minutes away.

That's why when Kagami had said that, Kuroko only assumed it was going to be the same as usual. So when they headed in the opposite direction, got a train ticket and started to head in a familiar direction, Kuroko was immensely confused. All the while Kagami carried a bag with mystery contents in it, just making the whole thing more confusing.

"I thought you said we're going to maji's?"

"We are."

"But we're heading back to our old houses."

"Yep."

It didn't really help that that was the most information he'd gotten out of the red-head. Kuroko had gotten a clue, it wasn't that hard, but he didn't really get why.

Was this what Kagami had meant by 'going somewhere nice'? The sentiment was certainly nice, though he had expected something that wasn't a fast food joint…

They were greeted with the usual welcome when they entered the establishment and went to get their meal. Kuroko usually didn't get anything from that place anymore, but since they were back where they started Kuroko decided to get his usual vanilla milkshake. Kagami got his usual too – a mountain.

To Kuroko's further surprise, Kagami told the person behind the counter that it was to go, and Kuroko questioned Kagami's sanity if he was going to say that they were heading back now.

Thankfully for Kagami's health, they did not head straight back on the train to their house. Instead, Kagami started leading him off down yet another familiar road. By the time they arrived the sun was already beginning to set.

It created a familiar scene.

There they were, back at the court they had spent time at from the first day they'd met. He remembered seeing Kagami in the dimming sun, shining like the light he was.

"Kuroko."

The shorter turned just in time to see Kagami toss a ball at him, which he caught with slight difficulty due to the drink in his hand. He frowned lightly at Kagami, but seeing the happy look on his face, he couldn't help but smile back.

"Taking me somewhere nice, you are certainly thoughtful Kagami-kun."

The two decided to eat a bit before their food went bad, and Kagami patted himself on the back for convincing Kuroko to have two of his burgers instead of one. They'd finished half of each of their meals before they both grew impatient. Put together with a basketball and a hoop, it never took long before they found a way on the court.

It was a nostalgic display, neither of them had lost their touch. Of course Kuroko couldn't bring out his patented 'misdirection' and Kagami hadn't practiced his jumps in a while, but it felt just like old times. With the cool air brushing their skin, the light and shadow duo took their fill of nostalgia.

But somehow, it was found cut short.

"Hey, Kuroko." Kagami tossed the ball back to their things all of a sudden. "Let's take a break."

Kuroko, curious as to why now of all times, stared at Kagami. But, he still oblidged.

"If you want to, I don't really mind."

The sun was still setting, but it was almost night time now. Come to think of it, they should probably factor in the time it would take for them to go home. Kuroko wondered if that was why Kagami had stopped, but then felt down that they would cut this time short.

Kuroko followed Kagami on his way back to the bench, watching the red-head's back like he was a moving sculpture. Once there, Kagami simply stared through the fence at the dimming skyline. Kuroko stopped behind him, waiting.

It was so… simple. So quiet, and yet it was beautiful.

Kuroko closed his eyes, and embraced it.

"It's really been a long time." Kagami smiled to himself. "Things were seriously crazy back then. Everything was always changing."

"Do you miss it?" Kuroko came to his side, watching his expression.

Kagami shook his head.

"Not really. You?"

"Not as much as I would without you."

Kagami chuckled with a smirk.

"Yeah. To think none of that would've happened if I never met you. Or if I'd just passed you off as some weirdo. Things really do just fall into place."

Kuroko hummed to himself and stared into the sunset as well.

"I like to think, even without that, we would have been able to understand each other the way we do."

"Well it's not like everything was because of basketball. We were still weirdly in-sync."

"Were we? I never noticed?"

"Wait, seriously?"

"I'm joking." Kuroko smiled. "Besides, basketball is just one of your many attractive features."

"Why thank you." Kagami jokingly over-dramatized his gratefulness, making Kuroko supress a laugh.

The shorter approached the fence closer, lightly grasping the cold metal with his hand. He watched, and spoke with some kind of longing.

"I think, even if we had never met, I would have been able to be like this with you. At least, if I had the chance, I hope I would have been smart enough to take it."

"Or dumb enough."

Kuroko chuckled.

"That too." Kuroko clasped the chains tighter. "I… want to do things like this, forever. It's so simple, but I worry sometimes that anything could take it away. I don't know… I suppose, I'm just so happy that I met you."

He spoke from as deep into his soul as he could gather, but he still felt like he wasn't quite making sense. He didn't even know where it came from. He just… wanted to stay like this, with Kagami, forever. If nothing changed, if everything but those two changed, it would still be perfect. That's what he felt.

It was greeted with silence, for at least a few moments. Kuroko was glad, because he was expecting Kagami to reflect on his own answer, or even just be happy to take in his words. That's why when he felt Kagami wrap his arms around him, he felt a little surprised.

Kagami held him tight, he could feel the red-head's heartbeat in his back. He held his cold hands in his bigger ones, and stared off into the same sunset.

He was sure that Kagami felt the same way.

"I won't ever let it end." He reassured Kuroko with a soft voice, but with his usual confidence. "One way or another, I'll love you until the end of time."

Although it was a little cheesy, Kuroko found himself blushing anyway. Somehow, with that voice, he knew Kagami really meant it. That was when he felt it, Kagami's hand moving oddly, and something warm covering his finger. He blinked and looked down.

And the world seemed to freeze.

Every drop of focus moved to it like a gravitational force, no sound nor sight mattered apart from every aspect of it.

A ring.

It glimmered in the fading light, so beautiful that it didn't even seem real. Without even thinking, Kuroko pinched himself to make sure it was all still real.

It took far too long to realise that his heart was beating unstoppably loud in his chest, so much that Kagami must have heard it through his chest. Kuroko covered his mouth, unable to make a sound but unable to contain his breath that wanted to leap out of his lungs. He glanced round to see Kagami watching him, with a smile.

Kuroko snapped himself out of it.

He turned around, his back touching the fence, the two of them still so close as Kagami towered over him. He could only see Kagami, and it was so bright that Kuroko felt his eyes stinging.

"Taiga…"

His voice wasn't like his own. It was shy and graceful and awkward, but it was unmistakably his. He looked at it again, at the jewellery on his ring finger. He closed his hand and felt it still there.

It was so unreal, he couldn't even comprehend what he could possibly do with himself. Luckily, Kagami was there to help him.

"I know we're a perfect fit, I'm sure of it." Kagami reached up a hand to Kuroko's cheek, gently holding him as though he were sugar glass. "I don't ever want to believe that we can break so easily, and I don't want you to believe that either. Tetsuya, please, be mine."

Those words swelled something up in Kuroko. Emotions, tears, anything and everything, Kuroko felt it poring forth. He clasped onto Kagami, bringing himself close as if to try and keep it all in.

"I will." He choked out, trying to speak clearly. "I'll be yours, and I want you to be mine forever, Taiga. I love you."

Kagami held Kuroko close, taking a deep breath that shook from the tension that had finally been released.

"I love you too." He laughed, bringing the other as close as physics would allow. "I love you."

The two held each other close, the ghost so happy he could die, and the red-head so relieved he was laughing and grinning so much his mouth could have fallen off.

On that early spring evening, two people embraced the future as a destined pair for love to follow them on wherever they may go.

* * *

Phew! After all of that work, I _propose_ I take a nap u (Get it? Get it?)

Aaaaaaanyway, KagaKuro 7 is finished! This was the last planned one-shot, though I'm gonna go back and edit all of the chapters to be better and then aaaaaaaafterwards I'm planning on releasing an 8th chapter with extra stuff like other ideas I had and extra bits I didn't end up including~

I'm pretty happy with this, though even though I'm the one writing it I still thought "but what if he accidentally said 'Tatsuya' instead :I" But naaaaaah I wouldn't do that XD (not in the final day anyway)

I hope you have enjoyed my shot at one-shots, please tell me what you thought about them as a review if you feel like it and thank you so much for reading!


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